


The Butler and the Maid

by mrsmiawallace88



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Demons, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-02-24 06:58:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 69,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2572328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsmiawallace88/pseuds/mrsmiawallace88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annie is a normal girl growing up in London. Just as she turned eighteen she was sent away from home for a while. She works and lives on the Phantomhive manor. What secrets are the Master and his Butler hiding? And can love grow in darkness? Sebastian/OC slowmance</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Arrival

Thick fog covered the river Thames like a white, milky blanket. A black horse broke through the mist, drawing a carriage over London Bridge which was leading out of the city. A full moon slowly rose up into the sky and it seemed the carriage was the only vehicle wanting to leave the city at an hour like this.

A pair of bright, emerald eyes glanced off the window of the carriage, thoughtfully watching the moon. The young woman thought about the last discussion with her parents.

_"Mom, I don't want to leave you! Why do you send me away?"_

_"It is the best for you if you leave the city for a while. The best for your safety, my dear,"_ her mother's voice echoed through her mind as Annie leaned her forehead against the glass and sighed heavily.

 _"I don't even know who that Earl of Phantomhive is! What if he's cruel? What if he's beating me? I'm not a servant!"_  she had cried while her father had stored her suitcase into the carriage.

 _"He won't abuse you, Annie. The Phantomhive mansion might be the safest place for you now. Don't worry about us. Everything will be fine. Once our problems are solved you'll come back. I promise,"_  her father had said and placed a soft kiss on top of her head.

She had no clue what kind of difficulties her parents had, but it must have been a matter of delicacy and maybe even dangerous if they send their only daughter out of the city and onto a stranger's mansion somewhere in the outskirts of London.

She had just turned eighteen not that long ago and already missed her friends back in their little townhouse. They were part of the new created middle-class, not rich and not poor. Her father invested into the upcoming expansion of the rail network and made some good money with it.

Annie had learned to read, calculate and write from a personal tutor her father saved money for. He always wanted her to become an intellectual and independent woman, which was quite unusual in these times.

She snapped out of her thoughts as the carriage bumped through a pothole on the road and finally came to a halt. She checked her golden pocket-watch with the little portrait of her family inside and was more than surprised that she had already reached her destination after just two hours. It was barely nine in the evening and she sighed heavily as she stepped out of the carriage.

She wrapped her black woolen coat around herself and took her suitcase. She hadn't packed much, for she expected to return home in no more than two weeks. Her father had said the Earl of Phantomhive would need a new servant for a certain amount of time and though Annie had not that much experience as a servant, her parents had decided to send her to the mansion anyway.

Now that she stood in front of the gigantic building which was made of grey stone and marble, she gulped and felt more than nervous. She had seen a couple of upper-class mansions before, mostly during her few vacations with her parents, but this was by far the biggest she had ever seen. And much to her discomfort it was surrounded by a quite large and creepy forest.

She cast a nervous glance around her shoulder and saw the carriage slowly disappearing down the road. Finally she turned and walked up the long stairway which was leading her closer towards the front door. With shaky breath and trembling hands she knocked against the heavy wooden double-door. A fresh autumn evening breeze played with her long, golden hair and made her shiver a bit.

 _'Come on, open the door,'_  she thought impatiently and cast another glance back towards the forest.

"Welcome to Phantomhive Manor, Miss Conroy," a velvety voice suddenly spoke up. She winced and squealed in shock. She placed a hand on her chest and let out a relieved breath as she saw the butler of the mansion in front of her.

"You scared me to death," she said and caught the hint of a smile on his lips while he watched her intently.

"That was not my intention. Please, step inside—," he signaled her with a gesture of his gloved hand to step into the entry hall and took the suitcase out of her hand.

"Oh, that's really not necessary," she protested. He raised his hand to silence her. She blinked at him in surprise and nodded in defeat.

"Right—my name is Annie Conroy," she offered her hand to him. He watched her blankly before he shook her hand wordlessly. "And your name is—?" she asked confused. He let go of her hand and moved up the flight of stairs.

"Sebastian Michaelis. I'm the butler of Master Phantomhive. Follow me; I will lead you to your room. It is late already and you will have to get up early tomorrow."

"I do?" she asked and followed him up the stairs and along a hallway. Her gaze drifted along the wall with all those old paintings, and nearly bumped into him as he stopped in front of a door to her left.

"Yes. Your shift starts at sharp six. I want to see you in the kitchen on time," he replied and opened the door for her. He stepped inside and placed her suitcase on a chair close to the window.

Annie placed her coat on the bed and turned around to ask for the direction to the kitchen, but the butler was already gone. She frowned and huffed confused about the fact that she didn't hear him leave nor that he had closed the door.

 _'What a strange man. How should I know where the kitchen is?'_ she thought while she unpacked her suitcase and hung her clothes into the wardrobe where she also found a maid uniform. She picked it up and stepped in front of the mirror, holding the uniform close against her body.

A smile flashed over her face before she closed the wardrobe again and began to inspect the room. The walls were painted in a soft hue of ivory. A four-poster canopy bed made of mahogany was positioned against the wall. A night table made of carved wood stood beside the bed. A large mirror was hanging at the wall and a couple of paintings in gold frames hung at both sides of the bed.

A comfy armchair and a small table stood in front of the window, and a vase with blue and white flowers was placed on top of the table. Everything was beautifully decorated and the color of the room made Annie feel like home on instant. She smiled and changed her clothes into a white nightgown. After washing her face and cleaning her teeth she closed the curtains, slipped under the blanket and fell asleep immediately.

* * *

"Has she arrived, Sebastian?"

"Yes, young Master. I showed her to her room and told her what time her shift begins tomorrow. Everything's in order," Sebastian replied while he prepared the young Earl for his bedtime.

Ciel Phantomhive watched his butler curiously before he asked, "What do you think about her? Will she be more useful as a servant than the rest?"

He slipped under his blanket and leaned against the headboard of his bed. The butler watched his master, his crimson colored eyes turned thoughtful as he replied vaguely,

"That has yet to be seen."

He put the light of the candles out. The faint light of the moon fell into the room as the only source of light.

"Shall I close the curtains?" Sebastian asked and shifted towards the window.

"No, it's fine. You may retire for the night now. And your task for tomorrow is to make sure the new girl doesn't crash as much as Mey-Rin," Ciel mumbled as his head touched the fluffy pillow.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian tilted his head and left the room.

Silently he headed down the hallway. He stopped in front of Annie's room for a moment and stared thoughtfully at the closed door. After a couple of seconds he shook his head and moved on. He entered his own bedroom and lowered onto his bed. Slowly he began to undress himself and placed his shirt, tailcoat and gloves neatly folded onto the dresser.

Though he actually had no need to sleep, he decided to try and slumber a bit. Once his head touched the pillow he closed his eyes. A smile flashed over his face as he remembered the moment he had opened the front door and found that young girl in front of him. She had been so nervous though he sensed she was not an average girl. She had a strong soul, a beautiful face—his eyes opened again and stared at the ceiling.

 _'What are you doing here? She is the new servant and nothing more. Don't get too attached to her!'_  he chided himself and turned around to stare out of the window. The moon stood at its highest point and sent its pale light into the room. With a sigh, Sebastian checked his pocket-watch. It was already past midnight which meant he'd see Annie again in no more than five hours. The mere thought made him feel strangely excited.

He grumbled and dressed again. Instead of lying in bed and thinking about that girl he could also get down to the kitchen and make sure the pantry was full and check if they need any new goods from town.

Everything was better than taking a rest. Everything was better than giving in to these strange new feelings.


	2. First day at work

Rolling thunder boomed up in the middle of the night. Annie stirred and shot wide awake as the thunder grew louder. First she had no idea where she was and cast a confused glance around the dark room until she remembered her arrival at the mansion. She frowned as she was aware that it was no thunder, but a rapid knocking at the door. She grumbled and checked her pocket-watch.

"Oh my!" she squeaked and jumped out of her bed. Hastily she grabbed a dressing gown and wrapped it around her before she jumped towards the door. A pair of crimson colored eyes looked down at her and he seemed not to be amused. Before the butler could say anything she began,

"I'm  _so_  sorry! Really, I'm sorry! I was just so tired and that bed is so warm and fluffy and I thought it's still in the middle of the night—"

"You should better get dressed and meet us in the kitchen. I'll give you the chores for today, Miss Conroy," he silenced her and turned to leave. She blinked multiple times and peeked out of the door into the hallway watching him leave.

"Can't you stay and wait for me? I don't know where the kitchen is!" she called.

He cast a glance back over his shoulder. "Down the stairs and just follow the ruckus," he replied and moved on. Annie stared into the dimly lighted hallway until he was gone. With a huff she entered her room again and closed the door.

"Perfect, Annie. Your first day of work and you're already half an hour too late!" she grumbled and made a quick wash and dressed in the maid uniform. She turned in front of the mirror and sighed. What if this was simply a stupid idea? She had no idea about being a servant. She was certain she would break an expensive set of porcelain and got thrown out of the mansion. Finally she made a ponytail and left the room heading downstairs.

Once she reached the entry hall she stopped and cast a glance in all possible directions as suddenly a girl with cherry-red hair and glasses as thick as bricks came running towards her. She carried some plates and porcelain cups on her arms and screamed,

" _Aaah!_ " She tripped and came crashing into Annie. The girls tumbled down with a thud and Annie prepared herself for the sound of breaking plates. Much to her surprise nothing like this happened at all. Carefully she opened her eyes and saw the girl still clinging to her, while Sebastian towered over them with the dishes in his hands. He cocked an eyebrow and offered his other hand towards her.

"Would you please go down from me?" Annie mumbled and pushed the girl away to take his hand. He helped her up and said with a soft smile,

"I told you that you would find the way to the kitchen. Mey-Rin is the greatest ruckus of them all."

Annie turned and watched the girl getting up on her feet and fumbling with her glasses before she said, "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm such a clod!" She squeaked and tried to hide behind Annie in fear of Sebastian's anger. The butler watched them for a second before he pushed the dishes into Annie's arms.

"Follow me," he simply said and entered another hallway with Annie and Mey-Rin right behind.

"What is your name? You are the new maid, right? Of course, what a stupid question, you wear the uniform. I'm sorry, I talk too much. Please forgive me. My name is Mey-Rin," the girl babbled and Annie couldn't help but giggle quietly while she desperately tried not to trip and break any plate or cup.

"It's fine, and yes I'm the new maid. My name is Annie," she replied as they finally reached the kitchen where two blonde boys sat around a wooden table. They immediately jumped to their feet and approached her with bright smiles on their quite handsome faces.

"You must be Annie!" the younger boy said and took her hand as he added, "I'm Finnian, but everyone calls me Finny. I'm the gardener! It's so great to finally meet you! Sebastian talked about you the whole morning—"

"Finny! Why are you still here? I told you to prepare the garden! Our guest arrives at sharp six tonight!" the butler grumbled and sent an annoyed look towards the young gardener. The boy jumped and ran out of the kitchen.

Annie chuckled as the other man stepped towards her. "My name is Bard and I'm the cook. Though Sebastian never lets me cook for the young Master," he grumbled and earned a huff from the butler.

"Why is that?" Annie asked curiously and watched Sebastian intently. She didn't understand the reason that there was a cook in the household who was not allowed to cook for the Master.

"The reason for that is simple—the life of Master Phantomhive is too precious. Bard can cook for you, but I prefer to prepare the Master's meal myself," Sebastian simply stated while his gloved hands smoothly worked at the kitchen-counter to prepare tea and a breakfast. Annie nodded understandingly and shifted from one foot to the other, quite uncertain what she should do or say next. Suddenly she spotted a small man in the corner.

"Is he real?" she whispered to Mey-Rin and pointed at the elder, grey haired man with the monocle and a cup of tea in hands. The red-haired maid giggled. "Yes, he is real. His name is Tanaka. He is the steward of the household," she explained and Annie sent him a smile. He simply smiled back and let out a quiet, "Ho Ho Ho."

She led her gaze back to the butler and stepped closer towards him. "So, what are my chores for today?"

He seemed to ignore her and so she took the time to cast a closer look at him. He was tall, his hair black like a raven and his eyes were crimson colored which made him sort of interesting. His skin was pale but it suited him very well. Her gaze drifted along his tailcoat until she head him clear his throat. She looked up in surprise and saw his lips twitch upwards a bit.

"You will assist me today. I will show you the mansion and introduce you to Master Phantomhive. Here, take the tea and follow me," he said and handed her a tray with a pot of tea and a single cup made of the finest china. Sebastian pushed the cart with the breakfast and signaled her to follow him.

"May I ask you something?" she said while they walked side by side along the hallway.

"That depends," he replied and made her frown. "Uhm—on what?" she asked curiously.

"Nevermind. What do you want to know?"

"Is—is Ciel Phantomhive a friendly Master?" she asked carefully and watched him uncertainly. Sebastian cast a quick glance at her before he replied,

"All things are relative, don't you think? He is young with a hurtful past. And yet he is fair and hospitable. You should not worry too much about it. You are not here to make friends with him. You are here to work for him."

"You're quite a charmer, right?" Annie mumbled sarcastically and stopped in front of a huge wooden double-door. Sebastian ignored her last statement and turned to look at her.

"This is the dining room. He is already waiting for us."

"Alright," she breathed and straightened herself. She still felt a little nervous as Sebastian pushed the door open and entered with Annie right behind.

* * *

"Good morning, young Master. Today's breakfast contains of toast, sunny-side eggs and bacon."

"Thank you, Sebastian. What kind of tea did you bring today?" the young boy asked and Sebastian smiled. "Earl Grey from the finest leaves with honeyed flavor," he replied and gestured Annie to place the tray on the table. She stepped forward and smiled nervously at the young boy. The surprisingly young boy. She thought he was at least twenty, but he couldn't be much older than twelve or thirteen.

"Good morning, Earl Phantomhive," she said uncertainly and poured tea into the cup. With shaking hands she handed it to him. He took it with a thankful nod and exchanged a satisfied look with his butler before he replied,

"I didn't have the time to welcome you properly in my household. My name is Ciel Phantomhive. You may call me Ciel. Annie Conroy, that was your name if I am not mistaken?"

"Yes, Ear—Ciel, that's correct," she replied and hastily stepped back next to Sebastian. Ciel nipped from his tea and looked up again. "You've outdone yourself, once again," he said to his butler. Sebastian placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

Annie watched him curiously, surprised how submissive the butler could be and yet a strange aura radiated around him. A warmth that seemed to comfort her and she felt more relaxed in this very moment. She blushed a bit as he looked down at her.

Her gaze drifted back to the young Earl who sat silently and alone at that massive, long table in that huge dining room. Thousands of questions burned on her tongue, but she kept silent and waited patiently until Ciel finished his breakfast. Sebastian took the empty plates while she took the tray with the tea pot and the cup.

"What is on my plan for today, Sebastian?" he asked and got up.

The butler smiled and replied calmly, "You will meet with Professor Hugh on the subject of becoming a good leader. After lunch you will have a lesson in the art of self-defence."

The boy sighed and leaned his head into the palm of his hand. "I don't think I want to practice that today."

"You should—and it's only one hour. And now you shouldn't let Professor Hugh waiting too long," the butler replied determined. Ciel finally excused himself and so Sebastian and Annie walked silently back to the kitchen. Once they arrived he told her to wash the dishes.

She did what he told her and felt how he watched every move of her while he sat at the table having a small breakfast as well. Finally she sighed and asked without looking at him,

"He is lonely, isn't he?"

She winced as he felt his presence so close behind her as he got up and placed his plate into the warm water in the sink. She stopped washing and looked up at him. His face was so close that she felt the heat of his breath on her skin which made her blush once again.

"Aren't we all alone in this world?" he whispered before he stepped away again and began to rummage in another corner of the kitchen. Annie thought about his last statement and sighed heavily. He was right. Even she was alone in this mansion surrounded by strangers, away from her home, away from her family.

She cast another glance back towards him and saw his gaze drifting away from her quickly.


	3. One hell of a dinner

Annie sat silently at the kitchen table and watched Bard who just put pots and pans on the oven. She remembered that a guest would arrive in the evening and knew very well that Sebastian wouldn't want Bard to prepare the meal.

"Uhm, Bard? What are you doing?" she asked curiously. The cook cast a glance back towards her and grinned cheekily.

"I will create a mouth-watering meal for our guest!"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Does Sebastian know about this?"

"Are you insane? Of course, not! But once he sees it, he will be proud of me! Maybe he will let me cook for Master Ciel as well sometime," he replied and continued with his work. Annie chuckled and got up as she replied teasingly,

"Fine, but I won't stay here. Not that I get trouble for letting you do this." Without another word she left the kitchen. The sound of her shoes echoed through the hallway while she walked on deep in thoughts. Soon she realized that she was completely lost. Though Sebastian had shown her the most common routes, this part of the mansion was new to her. It seemed to be the basement and much to her discomfort it was dark and dusty.

"Uhm—hello? Is anyone down here?" she called and coughed as a cloud of dust whirled up from a bookshelf. She placed her hand in front of her mouth and stepped closer towards the shelf. Her fingertips trailed over the backs of the books and saw that a lot of them were simply history books. One caught her attention the most and so she picked it up and opened it. It was a book about the history of England, a book she once had read during her lessons with her tutor.

"My, my, are we lost?"

She squeaked and let the book drop to the floor. More dust whirled up and made it hard for her to see anything. She searched frantically around until she saw the eyes of the butler in front of her, slowly stepping out of the shadow.

"Did you follow me?" she breathed out and tried to slow her heartbeat again. He chuckled and picked the book up to place it back on the shelf.

"No, why should I follow you?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know—to control me? This is still my first day and—"

"And you woke up too late and already got lost in a dark corner of the mansion. You should be thankful that I'm here," he said with a smile.

"How long have you been here?" she asked suspiciously, afraid that he might have watched her reading the entire time. Sebastian seemed to sense her uncertainty and stepped closer. It was as if only his eyes glowed in the dim light of the room.

"Now come on, I will guide you back," he said and turned to leave. Annie frowned and followed him back into the entry hall. She stopped and watched him curiously. "You haven't answered my question, yet," she said teasingly and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"What question?" he asked confused and watched her intently.

"How did you know I'm down there?"

A smile flashed over his face. "I'm just one hell of a butler," he winked and left her alone in the hall.

' _What did he mean by that?'_  she wondered but decided to push these thoughts aside. He was obviously quite odd, but in the end it was not her business at all.

* * *

Just like Sebastian had assumed, the three other servants had completely messed up with their tasks. Annie was curious what Sebastian had come up with to make this meeting hospitable for the guest who would arrive within a couple of minutes.

"Who is the guest, if I may ask?" she stepped next to him while they were waiting in the entry hall. Ciel had just joined them and stood quite bored opposite of them. Mey-Rin, Bard and Finny were quite nervous for they had nearly messed everything up. Sebastian's gaze drifted to Annie as he explained calmly,

"Lord Clause is the uncle of our young Master. He comes from Italy to deliver—some goods. That is all you need to know."

She nodded shortly while her gaze drifted to Ciel. He watched her and his butler quite curiously until the sound of a car waved through the air outside. Sebastian opened the front door and Ciel stepped outside to welcome his uncle.

"Good evening, Ciel! My, such a long time! Have you grown?" the elder man said cheerfully with a bright smile on his face. He pulled his nephew into a tight hug and Annie could see that the young Master was more than annoyed by that sudden touch.

"Unfortunately, I haven't," Ciel replied with a blank expression and gestured his uncle to follow him inside.

"Welcome, Lord Clause," the butler and the servants bowed a bit. Sebastian stepped towards him and said with an apologetic smile, "I am sorry to keep you waiting."

"Sebastian! Long time no see—"his voice trailed off as his gaze drifted along the servants. "And I see there are some new faces, right?" He ruffled Finny's hair and smiled brightly at Annie. He took her hand and placed a kiss on top of it. "And a new maid, I see?"

Sebastian stepped closer. "Would you follow me to the courtyard? Tea is already prepared,"he said quite sharply and Clause watched him confused.

"To the courtyard?"

The butler smiled. "I have been told by the Master to prepare hospitality which rewards your efforts this time. I'll be happy if it meets your expectations."

"Well then, lead the way," Clause said merrily and together they stepped outside into the courtyard. Annie gasped as she saw the beauty of the place. It was a Japanese style rock garden and obviously Clause was more than amazed by the sight of it as well. Annie felt a hand on her back as Sebastian gently pushed her closer to the table.

"Pour the tea and join me in the kitchen," he whispered and she nodded understandingly. She stepped towards the guest and smiled shyly while she poured him a cup of tea.

"Mmmh, that smells delicious. Sebastian had once again outdone himself," Clause said as he sipped from the tea. He watched Annie quite wantonly and she cast a glance at Ciel. He signaled her to pour a cup of tea for him. She stepped hastily closer to the young Master.

"Thank you, Annie. Go and join Sebastian in the kitchen," he said and led his gaze back to his uncle to listen to what he had to say. Annie spotted the three other servants not far hiding behind a bush and chuckled before she entered the mansion again and headed to the kitchen.

"That smells wonderful. What are you cooking?" she stepped closer to the oven to cast a glance into the pots and pans.

"Unfortunately these are just some leftovers of the meal Bard had tried to—flambée," Sebastian mumbled. "I'm only trying to safe what's left to create a meal suitable for our guest."

Annie chuckled amused. "Flambée, you say? Well, that looks like as if he had tried it with a flamethrower," she pointed at the black pieces of meat in the trash bin. Sebastian watched her blankly and she felt it was not right to laugh in this very moment. She cast a glance around the room and asked,

"Can I help you somehow?"

Much to her relief his lips twitched upwards. "No, not really, though you could put the cutlery on the cart over there," he pointed to the cart next to the door. She went to do what he had told her and said,

"If I can't help you much, why should I join you here instead of being hospitable to our guest?" She put the forks and knifes on the cart without looking at him.

"I just had the feeling Lord Clause enjoys your hospitability a bit too much," he simply replied while he continued preparing the meal. Annie frowned and watched him curiously for a while.  _'Is he jealous?'_  she asked herself confused until he finally handed her two bowls. "And what kind of meal is that now?" she asked as she placed the bowls on the cart.

"It's a simple beef bowl."

"I can see that, but what will you tell the Lord? He might be surprised just to get a simple beef bowl for dinner, don't you think?"

"You will see," he winked and gestured her to push the cart out of the kitchen. Once they stepped outside again, the conversation between Ciel and Clause stopped immediately.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready to be served," Sebastian said and handed Annie a bowl and gestured her to bring it to Ciel. She placed it in front of the boy and looked up just to see the surprised face of Lord Clause.

"Uhm—what is that?" he asked puzzled and looked up at Sebastian. The butler smiled and replied,

"It's Donburi—"

"Donburi?" Clause called out and stared at the butler in utter disbelief. The tension was thick and Annie's gaze was fixed on Sebastian as he suddenly began to explain proudly,

"Donburi is a dish from ancient Japan that was used to reward workers. It was a dish that symbolized rewarding workers after their work was over. That's the dish called Donburi! It is said that the dish Houhan was only eaten in the royal court. However, commoners also wanted to try it and this was the origin of Donburi. Furthermore, I thought you would be tired of sophisticated food. To allow you to simply savour the high quality meat, I have prepared it in this style."

They all blinked and stared at him in surprise until Lord Clause broke out into laughter. "This is great! Ciel, you always surprise me!" He turned to look at Sebastian and added, "I didn't think that Donburi was such a meaningful dish. You really are knowledgeable!"

"Thank you very much," Sebastian bowed respectfully. He looked up and winked at Annie with a smile. She returned his smile and saw Mey-Rin approaching the table. Her task was to pour the wine and Annie had more than a bad feeling about it, but kept silent and watched with horror how the girl tried to pour the wine into the glass.

' _Not good—not good! Oh no, she spilled it!'_  Annie internally gasped. Within the blink of an eye the tablecloth was removed from the table without the noticing of the Lord. Even Ciel seemed to be surprised and Annie felt her heartbeat quicken as she saw Sebastian with the cloth over his arms.

"Where—where did the cloth go?" Clause suddenly asked and stopped eating. Ciel swallowed a piece of meat before he replied, "There was some dirt on the tablecloth. Please, don't take any notice of it."

"I apologize, please take your time and enjoy your meal," Sebastian added and signaled Annie and the rest of the servants to leave the courtyard.

"That was impressive," Annie said while she walked side by side with Sebastian towards the lavatory. "I guess I might have knocked everything down from the table by trying to pull the cloth away," she added and giggled. The butler smiled and watched her amused.

"I should have let  _you_  pour the wine. It was a mistake to give Mey-Rin that task. It was my fault and therefore I had to act quickly before it ended in another disaster," he replied and put the dirty cloth into the basket.

"How can you be so sure I wouldn't have spilled the wine as well?" she asked amused and watched him approaching her again. She turned and left the lavatory with him.

"You're not like Mey-Rin," he simply stated.

* * *

The evening carried on without any more incidents and finally the servants were told to retire for the night. Bard, Finny and Mey-Rin headed upstairs to their rooms while Annie decided to wash some dishes.

"You should sleep. Tomorrow is a new day and you don't want to be late again, right?" Sebastian said as he entered the kitchen and saw her still working. He gently took the plate out of her hand and leaned against the kitchen counter. He watched her amused and saw that her hair slowly began to free itself out of the ponytail and she looked more than exhausted.

She smiled up at him. "Alright—let's see if I can find the way back to my room," she giggled and headed towards the door. She frowned and cast a glance over her shoulder.

"Go on, I have the same way," he simply stated while he held a candlestick in his hand.  
"Uhm—fine," she mumbled and left the kitchen with Sebastian by her side. Silently they walked up the flight of stairs and along the hallway. Annie checked her pocket-watch and saw that it was already past midnight. "When will my shift begin tomorrow?" she asked sleepily.

"Sharp six, like every day," he replied and bit back a grin as she sighed heavily. He cast a quick glance at her and added, "You never worked as a maid before, right?"

"Am I that obvious?" she chuckled and looked up at him. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness and she couldn't deny that they fascinated her immensely.

"Despite the fact that you seem to be a slugabed—"he began and earned a playful scowl from her. The green of her eyes flashed in the light of the candles. "You are quite skillful with the tasks I'm giving you and you're a greater help in the kitchen than any of the other's. Once you get used to the working hours you will be the perfect addition to this household," he added and stopped in front of her room.

"Thank you for your confidence, but do you think I have to stay that much longer?" she asked and turned to face him. He tilted his head a bit in curiosity. "What do you mean by that?" he asked and Annie stepped a bit closer.

"I mean—how long will I stay? I only packed for two weeks."

"Well then, you should accompany us to the city tomorrow. You will need a lot more clothing," he said and watched her illuminated face. The blonde of her hair shimmered like gold in the fire as she stepped a bit back again.

"That means my parents will need more time to handle their—problems," she mumbled and turned away from him to open the door to her room. "Good night, Sebastian," she whispered sadly and closed the door without another word or look at him.

He stood silent for a second and stared thoughtfully at the closed door until he blew the candles out and walked along the hallway to finally retire for the night as well.

 


	4. The Master and his Butler

The carriage rumbled slowly along Mint Street with its little shops. Annie sat nervously next to Sebastian while she, the butler and Ciel were on their way to make some errands. Her gaze drifted to Ciel and once again one question popped up on her mind. She cleared her throat and asked carefully,

"Why—why do you have that eye-patch?"

The young boy watched her blankly before he shifted and replied vaguely, "That's just an old injury. Don't worry about that."

Annie sensed that this was not the full truth and yet she decided to stay silent and watch the morning traffic of London. Children hurried along the street, pulling their parents towards a toy-shop. Upper class ladies with huge hats strolled along the sidewalk chatting and laughing. Annie sighed and asked,

"Will I be able to visit my parents?" Her gaze drifted to Sebastian. His eyes seemed to be warmer as he replied, "I don't think that's a good idea, Miss Conroy."

"Annie," she said determined and earned a confused look from him. "I told you my name is Annie. My mother is Miss Conroy," she added and could see an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"Fine, Annie. And no, you will stay with us the entire time. We will get the Master's cane and some clothes for you. We will return to the mansion in the afternoon," he said and checked his pocket-watch. Finally the carriage came to a halt and the three of them stepped outside onto the busy street.

"Wait—I will go get new clothes together with you?" she suddenly turned to look at the boy and his butler. Ciel lowered his gaze and Annie could see he tried to hide a smile.

"You may buy them by yourself. We will just stay nearby to keep an eye out for any intruders," Sebastian replied and cast a glance along the road as if he was looking for something or someone.

"Do you know anything about the problems my parents are involved in?" she stepped closer to Ciel, but the boy turned to follow his butler towards a shop. Annie stared at them in disbelief until Sebastian pulled her out of her thoughts as he called,

"I suggest you keep up, Annie!"

She huffed and followed them into the shop. She decided to stay close to the door while Sebastian and Ciel talked to the owner of the shop. They talked about a cane or something and she nearly squeaked as Sebastian suddenly held the cane in front of the shop-owner like a gun, but finally he let a bag of money drop on the counter and signaled her to leave the shop again.

"What was that about?" she whispered and watched him curiously. He chuckled as he replied, "He made fun of the young Master. I thought it was necessary to show him not to make fun of Master Phantomhive."

"Uhm—alright. He means a lot to you, right?" she asked while they strolled along the road a few steps behind Ciel.

"Yes, he does—"the butler replied calmly and gestured towards another shop. "There you might find suitable clothes."

"Suitable for what?"she chuckled and pinched his arm playfully. He chuckled and pushed her wordlessly into the shop. Annie sighed and began to try on different dresses, trousers, tunics, shoes and jewelry.

Nearly half an hour later she stepped outside again with three bags. Ciel turned and signaled the carriage to come closer. "Well, I am ready to leave if you are," he said and stepped towards his carriage again. Sebastian opened the door and let the boy step inside.  
He took Annie's bags and helped her up as well and finally joined them. The carriage moved on back out of the city. Annie was quite tired and closed her eyes for a while.

As the carriage bumped through a pothole she mumbled and grumbled and finally turned around to snuggle against the soft fabric of her pillow. Her arm and leg wrapped around her blanket and she sighed contently.

"Uhm—"someone cleared his throat and made her snap out of her slumber.

"Wha—?" she mumbled and gasped as she found herself entangled to Sebastian. With a heavy blush she jumped away from him. "I'm sorry! Oh my—why didn't you wake me up?" she asked in shock as she was aware that she had fallen asleep on him. The butler exchanged an amused look with his Master before he replied calmly,

"It seems to be rude to wake a sleeping lady, don't you think?"

She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I have the strange feeling that it amuses you to embarrass me—"she grumbled and turned to look out of the window.

The butler simply chuckled and they all fell silent for the rest of their way until they finally reached the mansion again.

* * *

" _Ciiiiel!"_  a loud, squealing voice boomed up as they entered the mansion again. Ciel's jaw dropped open as he saw all the shiny, pink decorations and a blonde girl came crashing against him.

"I missed you! Look, I made the hall shiny and beautiful!" she called and placed a kiss on his cheek.  
Annie was more than confused and winced as Sebastian bent down and whispered, "This is Miss Elizabeth. She is his fiancée."

"Oh—they look cute together," she smiled but could see that Ciel was not quite amused about the girl's presence. He signaled Sebastian to take care of her for a while. The butler bowed and offered his hand towards the girl. "Lady Elizabeth, may I lead you to the lounge? Tea will be served soon."

She smiled brightly, but ignored him and jumped towards Annie. "Who are you? Oh, you are  _so_  beautiful!"

Ciel sneaked away to avoid Lizzy's attention and Sebastian picked up Annie's bags. "Your new clothes will be in your room", he said and left as well up the flight of stairs. She stared after him in utter disbelief.  _'Did he just leave me here with that hyper-active girl?'_  she thought a little upset, but faked a smile as the girl pulled her with her into a nearby room which was actually kind of a lounge as well.

"Now tell me, what is your name?" she asked again and Annie sighed heavily. "Annie, I'm the new maid of Master Phantomhive," she replied and got pushed into an armchair.

"My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzy!" the girl said and jumped into the armchair across from Annie. "Uhm—nice to meet you, Lizzy. But I don't think I have time to talk with you. Sebastian might need my help with the preparations for the tea—"she was about to get up, but the girl scowled at her.

"No! Please, stay here with me! I like you! How old are you?"

"Eighteen—"

"Aaaaw, I'm fourteen! Do you like to dress up? I love it! And I love masked balls! Maybe we should make one! That will cheer Ciel up, I'm certain. He is always so serious—"Lizzy said without even taking a breath between her sentences, but Annie could hear a sudden sadness in her voice as she mentioned Ciel's lack of happiness. This was the perfect chance to get some more information about the Master.

"Lizzy? May I ask you something?"

"Oh, certainly!" her green eyes sparkled in the light of the afternoon sun that shone brightly through the window in the back of the room. Annie cleared her throat before she asked,

"What happened to Ciel's parents? Why does he live here alone with just his butler and us servants? He doesn't even have any pets to cheer him up. Sebastian mentioned he has a hurtful past and—and that he forgot to smile or laugh at al. Do you know anything about this?"

"His parents died in the fire. The whole mansion was alit and—well, that is nearly three years ago. It was on his tenth birthday. Since then he avoids to celebrate his birthday. He vanished for a long time and returned as that boy you know him as together with Sebastian. I remember that he was such a cheerful boy when we were children. I wish he would laugh just once for me again," she explained and sighed as her head hung low.

Annie was more than shocked about these tragic news and all those horrible things that boy must have been through. And yet, one question was not answered. "Uhm—Lizzy?"

"Huh?" the girl looked up again quite curiously. Annie shifted a bit closer and whispered, "Do you know why he wears that eye-patch? Did he wear it before—you know?"

"No—he had the most beautiful blue eyes! I don't know why he wears it—he never showed me or told me how he got it. The only thing he assured me was that he still has two eyes," she giggled and leaned back in her chair.

"If the ladies are finished with gossiping, I would ask you to follow me to have tea," the voice of Sebastian suddenly spoke up from behind Annie and made her jump again.

"Seriously—you have to stop that! At least, you should knock before you enter!"

"I did knock—"he replied and signaled her to get up. Lizzy watched them curiously while Annie approached him. "What are my chores?" she asked as she stopped in front of him. His eyes rested on her face for a moment until his gaze drifted back to Lizzy.

"Miss Elizabeth, follow me. The young Master is waiting for you," and finally he looked back at Annie and added, "You will get the tea from the kitchen and join us in the lounge upstairs."

With the he left the room with Lizzy right behind him. Annie shook her head in defeat and did what she was told.

' _He came back after a long time—together with Sebastian,'_  Lizzy's words echoed through her mind while she fetched the tea and walked carefully up the flight of stairs. Before she entered the lounge she stopped again.

' _Where did Sebastian come from?'_  she thought, now determined to find as much information about the Master and his butler as possible. She straightened and entered the room with a smile.


	5. Shall we dance?

"No! I am  _not_  interested in a masked ball!" Ciel protested while he sat behind his mahogany desk the other day. Annie had just poured a cup of tea for him and watched the young Master uncertainly. Should she tell him how sad Lizzy was about the fact that he was so serious? That he would make her happy with a ball like this?

"Uhm—if I may say something—"she began but Sebastian placed his hand on her forearm and shortly shook his head. "But—"she tried one more time and earned a scowl from Ciel.  
She sighed and turned to leave the study. Quietly she walked down towards the kitchen. Angrily she pushed the door open and slumped down at the table.

"What's wrong?" Bard asked and watched her concerned while he puffed from his cigarette. She cast a quick glance at him. "Nothing," she sighed and nipped at a cup of tea.  
Finally she put it down and got up again. "No! I won't let it happen that this innocent girl is sad and dashed! How can a twelve year old boy be so—so—like  _him_? I will make this ball happen. And  _you_  will help me with that!" she pointed at Bard as well as Mey-Rin and Finny who had just entered the kitchen.

The red-haired maid squealed and jumped up and down in amazement. "A ball? Oh, yes! We will make the most wonderful ball ever! I will clean the ball room!" she called and left the kitchen again.

"I will cut the bushes and trees outside!" Finny called and left as well happily laughing. Annie cast a glance at Bard. "And y _ou_  will cook a dinner. But please—don't use a flamethrower again."

The blonde cook grinned and saluted. "Aye, aye! I'll make the most delicious meal for the ball!"

Annie chuckled and left the kitchen just to bump into the butler. "Why are you all on the run?" he asked curiously and stepped away from her. Annie blushed a bit as she replied, "I—I plan to make the masked ball happen."

"I suppose you heard what our young Master had said earlier," he cocked an eyebrow and yet she didn't miss the amused twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, of course, I did. But have you ever really talked to Lizzy? She is such a cheerful girl and all she wants is to see him smile at least once for her. I know how she must feel and therefore I think she deserves a smile of her fiancée. Will you help me, Sebastian?" she watched him pleadingly and placed her hand on his forearm.  
He watched her intently, thoughtfully, his gaze drifted to her hand touching him so softly. His lips twitched a bit and after a long pause he finally sighed, "Fine, I will try and talk to him again, but I can't promise anything."

She smiled brightly at him and felt the urge to hug him, but she hastily pushed these thoughts aside. "You're a good butler," she said teasingly instead and ran along the hallway to search for Lizzy.

* * *

**Three days later**

Much to everyone's surprise, Ciel had finally accepted to send some invitations for a masked ball. While Sebastian taught him how to dance, Annie cared about the preparations of the ball room together with Lizzy and Mey-Rin.

"Oh, this will be a wonderful ball! Have you ever been on a masked ball?" Lizzy asked while she decorated the walls with pink and golden festoons.

"No, but will I even be allowed to dress up and dance as well? I mean—I'm just a servant," Annie replied while she polished the windows standing on a ladder. Lizzy turned and squealed,  _"You_  will be allowed without any doubt. I mean, without  _you_  we might not even celebrate at all! Just because of  _you_ Sebastian talked to Ciel again and changed his mind!"

"She is right," the butler's voice suddenly spoke up as he entered the room. Annie had once again not noticed his presence and screamed as she dropped down from the ladder right into his arms. She scowled at him and blushed as he placed her down on her feet again.

"Do you even make  _any_ noise when you enter a room?" she asked and picked the cleaning rag up from the floor.

"I do, but you are simply too much into gossiping—"

"I'm  _not_  gossiping," she grumbled and walked past him towards the door. "And thank you for catching me," she added and grabbed the door-handle. He followed her and placed his gloved hand on hers to stop her. A smile showed up on his face as he took the cloth out of her hand. Lizzy smiled brightly as she watched them curiously and giggled quietly.

"You should go and dress up. The guests will arrive in two hours," the butler said with a smile.

"But—but I don't have a mask," she said. "Not even a suitable dress for a night like this."

"Just go—"he said with a wink and pushed her out of the ball room. Annie knew that butler would be the death of her one day. She entered her bedroom and found a box on top of her bed. She frowned and stepped closer, her fingertips trailed over the box before she opened it carefully.  
She gasped in surprise as she found a beautiful, ruffled red dress inside, with silver applications at the bustier part. There was also a red mask with golden applications and a bushy red feather at the side, as well as golden high heels.

"Wow—"she breathed completely amazed and lifted the dress out of the box to hold it in front of her. She stepped towards the mirror and giggled.

' _Who gave me this?'_  she asked quietly and began to undress out of the maid uniform and prepared herself for a hot, refreshing bath. While she enjoyed the hot water on her skin, she thought about the dress again. Maybe Lizzy bought it for her, but when should she have done this? She never left the mansion and they were together most of the time. Annie shrugged and began to scrub her skin with a wash-cloth and washed her long, blonde mane.

Finally she stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her slender body. She rubbed her hair a bit dry and lowered down in front of the window from where she had a wonderful view over parts of the huge garden. She absently combed through her hair and hummed a tune she remembered from her mother.

What were her parents doing in this very moment? Were they in trouble? Did they flee from London as well?  
Annie was so deep in her own thoughts, that she nearly missed the knock at the door until a second, louder knock sounded up again and pulled her out of her thoughts.

She hastily got up from the armchair and tightened the grip around the towel to not risking it to drop. "Who is this?" she called and prayed silently that it wasn't Sebastian.

"It's me!" the merry voice of Lizzy replied and Annie breathed out in relief. "Alright, come in," she called and the blonde girl entered. She immediately spotted the dress and the mask on the bed and squealed.

"Oh my, Annie! That's the most beautiful dress! I thought you said you have no suitable dress," she said and inspected the dress.

"So—this is not from you?" Annie asked curiously and saw confusion in the girl's green eyes. Lizzy shook her head and picked the mask up to place it on her face. She giggled and looked up at Annie. "You should get dressed. Can I help you?"

"Yes, certainly—"Annie mumbled still a little confused. Who might have given her all these beautiful things? Even Sebastian came to her mind as she remembered that he wanted her to get dressed, but why should he do this? No, that was impossible. Maybe it was a gift from Master Ciel. She sighed and finally began to put on her underwear and slipped into the dress. It fit perfectly and Lizzy squealed even more.

* * *

Carriage over carriage stopped in front of the mansion and wildly attired guests entered the ballroom. Bard was still busy in the kitchen, proud about the fact that Sebastian had allowed him to prepare some of the snacks. Nevertheless, Sebastian himself had prepared most of them.

Finny watched how some of the guests admired the freshly cut bushes in the garden and Mey-Rin simply stared in wonderment at all those beautiful dresses and masks.

Annie carefully walked along the hallway and down the flight of stairs. Her hands trembled as she stopped in front of the ball room. She had never been on such a festival and she felt as if that red dress and that mask on her face would draw too much attention to her. She checked herself again and finally entered the ball room.

The ball was already in full swirl. The dazzling light of the chandeliers bounced off the ceiling and sparkled on the jewels of the noble ladies dancing with ever so noble men.

Annie stood still a little uncertain at the side of the room and searched frantically for Lizzy or any of the others. She needed to see at least one familiar face and finally spotted Ciel and Lizzy at a table with plates of Horsd'oeuvre in front of them.  
She could see that Ciel was still quite bored and not very happy about that whole ball. He didn't even wear a mask, but was dressed in quite fine clothes. Lizzy had linked her arm with his and talked to him with her ever cheerful voice.

Annie chuckled and was about to approach their table as suddenly a man stepped in front of her. He wore a white shirt with a black tuxedo as well as white gloves. His mask was cream-colored with golden applications and showed a pair of familiar eyes. Eyes in a hue of red wine. A smile curled is lips as he offered his hand to her.

"May I have this dance, my Lady?" his voice sounded like molten chocolate and Annie couldn't help but agree to his offer. She shyly took his hand though she knew very well that it was  _him._

She smiled while he led her to the dance floor. He stopped and lifted her hand. Annie remembered what her tutor had taught her once and placed her other hand on his shoulder. With increasing heartbeat she felt his other hand trail down along her side until it came to a rest on her waist.

He smiled and began to move slowly to the rhythm of the music. Annie let him lead her over the dance floor, never breaking his eye-contact. "That dress suits you very well," he whispered while his hand shifted to her lower back and pressed her a bit closer against him. A shiver ran down her spine and she was unable to speak for a moment. Instead she smiled brightly at him while her long hair waved smoothly with each move of them.

"I didn't know you can dance so well," she finally said and saw out of the corner of her eyes that some of the guests were watching them curiously and Lizzy smiled brightly at her. Sebastian chuckled and leaned in closer to her face. "I'm not one mere butler, Annie," he whirled her around and pulled her closer again. She tightened the grip at his shoulder a bit to steady her and looked into his eyes again.

"Who are you?" she asked carefully.

"I thought that's obvious?" he replied playfully as they stopped dancing. She stepped away from him and watched him from head to toe. "No, I mean—where do you come from? What is your connection to Ciel?"

He watched her amused, lifted her hand and placed a kiss on top of it. "Thank you for that wonderful dance, my Lady. I'm afraid I have to leave you now."

"Sebastian—"she breathed in an attempt to stop him but he already walked past her and left the room. She stared at the closed door and sighed. Why did he avoid answering her questions? And why did she even care about him?

She put on a smile again and searched for Lizzy. She found her on a sofa nearby and could see that she was in a miserable mood. Annie lowered down next to her. "What's wrong, Lizzy?"

"C—Ciel—he just left," the girl sobbed and brushed a tear from her face.

"Why? Did you have an argument?"

"No! I just wanted to dance with him. I wanted to have a dance just like you with that stranger—"

Annie bit back a smile as she realized that Lizzy had no idea who that stranger actually was. She looked back at the crying girl as Lizzy said, "I grew angry because he was still so serious on a festival like this! I wanted to cheer him up—and made him even angrier instead," she leaned against Annie's shoulder. She gently stroked the back of the girl's head.

"Don't cry. Shall I talk to him? I'm certain he is in his study right now," she offered. She couldn't stand seeing this girl so sad. Lizzy sobbed and nodded. "You are my best friend—"she placed a kiss on Annie's cheek. She smiled and left the ball room to head to Ciel's study.

Sebastian was not around and she was certain he was in the kitchen, checking that Bard, Finny and Mey-Rin didn't mess anything up. On her way along the hallway she heard a rumbling sound coming from the study room.

She stopped for a second and held her breath before she ran towards the room and pushed the door open. Before she could say or do anything, something hard hit her on the back of her head. Stars exploded in front of her eyes until the floor came closer and closer. Finally the world around her was painted black.

 


	6. Rescue me

After what seemed to be an entire life-time, Annie slowly woke up again. She opened her eyes carefully, but the scenery around her was still grey and blurry. Her head was pounding massively.

"Ouh—"she groaned and shifted a bit. She was aware that she was lying on the ground and with growing horror she felt that her hands were bound behind her back.

"Be silent—"a voice whispered somewhere near her and she tried to locate where it was coming from.

"Who are you?" she whispered and turned her head a bit more. "Ciel?" she breathed confused and earned a scowl from him.

"Be silent, Annie!" he hissed. She saw that his hands were bound as well. Blood dripped from his lips. Her mind was rushing as she was aware that they had been kidnapped. She nodded weakly and closed her eyes again, pretending to be still unconscious. Her heart was racing in her chest, while her mind was trying to understand what had happened and who might have kidnapped them.

The last thing she remembered was—dancing with Sebastian. His mysterious smile, those mysterious eyes—his hand on her back pressing her closer against him. A smile flashed over her face, but it vanished as she heard footsteps drawing closer and a door that opened and closed again.

"Who would've thought the president of the world's best toy factory is just a boy? Right? Ciel Phantomhive," a dark voice said amused. Annie frowned but kept silent while the man began to lament about the English people and their Queen.

"The Queen! The Queen! That's all they ever talk about! In the end aren't we two sides of the same coin? So, I just want us to cooperate a bit."

"Sorry, but I have no intentions of conspiring with a filthy rat," Ciel spat and shifted a bit. The man chuckled as he replied,

" _You_  may say that, but what about the others? Right now it might be only the watchdogs who are scared and obedient. I guess Ciel Phantomhive is someone who cleans out corruption. Even though I specifically made it so that I wouldn't sell in Italy—I didn't expect to be tracked this early on—"

Annie had no idea what this was all about, or why she was here as well, but the voice was somewhat familiar to her. She carefully opened one eye again and nearly squeaked in shock as she saw that man with the scar diagonally across his face. She knew him. She had seen him once in her father's office though she was much younger back then, but she would never forget that ugly face. Azzurro was his name, she was certain about that.

"Where are the goods? If you don't spill quickly—I'll kill your servants one by one and I will start with that little beauty here," he stepped towards her with a gun and held it against her temple. She whimpered in fear, no longer able to pretend being unconscious.

" _Let me go!"_  she screamed and tried to get away from him, but the grip around her tightened even more as he pressed the gun closer against her head.

"You better be silent or I'll blow your pretty brain out of your pretty head. Though—actually it would be a shame to waste something like you. I should take the chance and have some fun with you before I kill you. What do you think, Master Phantomhive?" Azzurro grinned wantonly and pushed Annie up on her feet and face first on a desk. She struggled to get up again but was pushed down again. "A pretty dress that you're wearing, and yet I fear I have to destroy it—"he chuckled and began to nestle at his trouser while tears rolled down her cheek.

* * *

Annie closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain and abusing that was about to follow when suddenly a phone rang deafening loud next to her. Azzurro stepped away from her and picked it up. Annie could hear a sudden commotion, Azzurro yelled in panic.

Whatever happened, something definitely was not working how he had planned it. And that left her even more afraid of his reaction. Silence fell upon the room and Annie shifted and dropped to the floor again, facing Ciel. He signaled her that everything would be fine soon. Azzurro seemed to listen carefully to whoever there was on the phone and she saw growing anger in his eyes.

"Woof," Ciel suddenly said and Azzurro's face changed from anger to shock. He slammed the phone down and paced impatiently up and down. His hand drove nervously through his sweaty hair as his gaze drifted back to the girl lying on the floor. He grabbed her violently and slapped her across her face with the back of his hand. He pushed her down to the floor again and she landed near Ciel again.

"Oouuh—"she breathed and panted heavily. Her head pounded even more from the force of his slap. After a while they could hear loud shooting sounds somewhere outside.  _'The police—they're coming to rescue us—'_ she thought in relief and smiled as the door opened again. Azzurro's bodyguards immediately began to fire their guns as he called, "Over there! Get him!"

' _Get him? Only one man is here to safe us?'_  panic crept up in her again and she tried to turn and cast a glance around but the pain in her body was still too much.

"That bastard!" the bodyguards yelled furiously. "There he is! Kill him!"

Suddenly they all fell silent—dead silent. Someone stepped closer and Annie gasped as she heard  _his_  voice. "I thank you for looking after our Master and our maid."

' _Sebastian?'_  her mind tried to understand what was happening. She tried to roll around again but stopped and listened to the conversation.

"Ha! I never thought you could single-handedly take on all those men. Amazing! I was expecting some sort of super human, not a butler in a black tailcoat. Who are you really? A killer sent by the Phantomhive to save their young Master and that—maid? An undercover special task officer? You can't really be just a butler!"

Sebastian chuckled. "No, I really am just your average butler."

"Oh, really? I've never met a butler of your talents before. I'm impressed. However—"Azzurro grabbed Ciel and placed the gun against the boy's temple now. Annie cried out and earned a kick into her stomach. She flung around and groaned in pain. Sebastian stared at her, her eyes bored into his in confusion as suddenly a fountain of blood spluttered out of his head as a bullet hit him.

" _No!"_  Annie cried.

"Seb—"Ciel breathed as more bullets hit the butler in his head, chest, stomach, arms and legs. He dropped to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Annie stared at his lifeless body while tears began to blur her vision and she cried his name over and over again.

"Hah, what a fool! I've won this one," Azzurro chuckled in triumph. "Even though he failed to save you, it was still quite touching," he added and lifted Ciel's head a bit. Annie's cries still rang through the air.

"How much longer do you intend to play around for?" Ciel suddenly growled and left Azzurro in a state of confusion. The boy added, "Do you plan on sleeping on that hard floor?  _Hurry up and get rid of these guys here!"_

"Fine," Sebastian replied calmly and Annie stopped crying. Her eyes grew wide in shock as she watched the butler rising up to his feet again, still covered in blood tough, but holding six bullets in the palm of his hand. "I'll be returning the favor with these—"he grinned and with a fast move he killed the men with the bullets by using his bare hands, though still covered in his white gloves which were now speckled with blood. "Oh dear, look what you've done," he lifted his coat. "How could you put so many holes into my coat?"

Ciel sighed. "Idiot! Are you still going to fool around?"

"Don't come closer or that little brat will die! And she's next!" Azzurro called in panic and gestured to Annie who still could not believe what she had just witnessed moments ago. She had seen the bullets hitting right into his head and now he stood there as if nothing had happened. She stared at him, couldn't lead her gaze away from the butler.

"Hurry up, Sebastian!" Ciel called and Annie had the strange feeling that this was not at all surprising for the boy that his butler got shot just to rise again.

"But, young Master, he will kill you both if I step closer," the butler said thoughtfully, yet amused. Ciel grew even more impatient and finally yelled, "I order you to come and save us!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Azzurro yelled and fired the gun right into Ciel's head. "What—why is he still alive?" he breathed and froze as Sebastian bent over his shoulder with the bullet between his fingers.

"Allow me to return to you, this bullet," he whispered and let it drop into the man's pocket. He picked Ciel up on his arms and placed him on an armchair nearby and cut the bonds around his wrists.

"Wait! You can't just—"Azzurro yelled but cried out in sudden pain.

"I can—"Sebastian simply replied and picked Annie up. She winced in pain and clung to him, buried her face into the crook of his neck while he carried her. He knelt down in front of Ciel and signaled him to climb onto his back. He carried them both out of the mansion and signaled a carriage driver to prepare to leave. Ciel climbed into the carriage while Sebastian placed Annie carefully down on the soft cushion.

The carriage moved down the path and onto the main road that would lead them towards Phantomhive Mansion.  
While Ciel rubbed his wrists and thoughtfully looked out of the window, Annie slowly shifted and looked up at Sebastian who was sitting close next to her. Carefully she sat up and placed a hand on his cheek. "You should be dead—"she breathed still confused. He smiled and took her hand, placed it gently down again but didn't let go of her.

"I told you—I'm one hell of a butler," he winked and chuckled. Annie's gaze drifted to Ciel and she was certain that she saw the hint of a smile on the boy's face.

Wouldn't she be so exhausted and in pain she would ask what had happened at all, but she simply sighed and placed her head against Sebastian's shoulder. She didn't even hesitate to seek the warmth of his body and soon drifted off into deep sleep.


	7. Why do I care?

Next time Annie woke up she found herself in her bed. The curtains were still closed. She slowly turned around, a sudden pain shot into her stomach and she groaned. After several seconds she managed to grab her watch and check it. She had no idea if it was two in the afternoon or two in the night, but it didn't matter. She was too exhausted to get up, the pain in her stomach was still too immense and her head was pounding.

A soft knock came from the door. "Whosthere?" she mumbled sleepily and carefully turned onto her back again as the door opened and Lizzy entered. "You're awake!" she squealed which caused Annie to groan again.

"Please, Lizzy—be a bit quieter," she grumbled and signaled her to enter the room. The girl went to the curtains and opened them a bit which also answered her previous question. It was definitely two in the afternoon as the bright sun shone into the room.

"Shall I tell Sebastian to prepare some tea for you?" Lizzy asked and lowered on the edge of the bed. Annie watched her blankly until she finally replied,

"No—it's fine. Don't bother him with my problems."

"We were all concerned. Did—did they hurt you badly?"

"Kicked my stomach, I guess some rips are bruised. My head is pounding and—if the phone wouldn't have rang—that bastard might have raped me," she replied with a tear rolling down her cheek.

Lizzy gasped and took Annie's hand. "That's awful! Oh, it's good that the police came to rescue you!"

Annie frowned. "P—police?"

"Yes, of course! Who else would be able to take out kidnappers?" the girl said with a smile. "You seem to be still too confused. I should let you sleep a while longer. You can use this button here to signal the kitchen that you need something," she said and gestured to a button on the night-table.

"Thank you, Lizzy. Is—is Ciel alright?"

"Yes, he's fine. As grumpy as always though," her gaze lowered but a smile popped up on her face. "I should go and check on him. I will visit you later again!" And with that the blonde girl jumped down from the bed and left the room, slamming the door shut. Annie's gaze drifted to the ceiling, more confused than before.

The image of Sebastian getting hit by all those bullets came back before her inner eye. His motionless body in a puddle of blood and yet he rose up again. He rose up, as if nothing had happen with the bullets in his hands. That was impossible. No one would survive such an attack, no one would get hit in the head twice and survive. He was no mere butler, she knew it. He even told her that during their dance. A multi-talent that was what he said and yet she couldn't believe that this was all. Was he some kind of—superman? Annie shook her head to get his image out of her mind and closed her eyes again. She would get answers soon, now that he had a lot more to explain to her.

* * *

"Which tea did you bring today? It smells like—Darjeeling?" Ciel watched his butler curiously as he poured a cup of dark brown tea.

"It is, indeed, a composition of Darjeeling with the hint of lotus. I prepared chocolate cake or scones with a relish of raspberries," Sebastian offered him both plates. Ciel stared blankly at the delicacies and finally took the chocolate cake. Silently he lifted a piece on his fork and munched it.

"You should bring the scones to Annie," he said once he drowned his cup of tea. "And if she is awake we should interrogate her a bit."

"My Lord, I don't think that's a good idea," Sebastian replied calmly.

"Why?"

"She is injured—"

"And yet she recognized Azzurro from somewhere. I have to know where she saw him before and what she knows about him," Ciel interrupted his butler sharply.

"You could just give her time to recover before you ask her all these questions—"

Ciel sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "Time—time is flying."

"It is, and yet she is still injured. She needs rest—"

"Do I sense concern in your voice? What's wrong with you?" Ciel looked up at his butler.

Sebastian calmly took the empty plate and placed it on the cart as well as the cup of tea. "I don't know what you mean," he replied and watched the young boy blankly. Ciel shifted and hid a grin. The Butler pushed the cart towards the door but stopped as the boy spoke again,

"You know that she will question you."

"I know—"

"What will you tell her?"

Sebastian sighed. "I don't tend to lie, unlike Humans."

"So you will tell her what you are?"

The Butler turned to watch his Master. "I will—someday."

" _Ciel!"_  Lizzy squealed as she pushed the door open and nearly bumped into Sebastian.

"What's the matter?" Ciel asked annoyed, his head leaned in the palm of his hand.  
The blonde girl smiled brightly. "I wanted to make sure that you are fine! Oh, Annie woke up!"

"How is she?" Sebastian asked and earned another surprised look by his Master. The Butler ignored that and watched Lizzy questioningly.

"She's weak and her stomach hurts. I told her to sleep but I'm certain a cup of tea will help a bit."

"Yes, Sebastian. Go and bring her tea and those scones," Ciel added. The butler didn't miss the hint of amusement in the boy's voice.

He bowed. "Yes, my Lord," he replied blankly and left the lounge again.

* * *

Another soft knock came from the door as Annie was just about to drift into sleep again. She mumbled and didn't even care who that might be while her eyes were still closed as the door opened and closed. She could hear the sound of a cart being pushed into the room and she knew immediately that it could only be Sebastian. Her heartbeat increased a bit as she opened her eyes to look up at him.

"How do you feel?" he asked while he poured her a cup of tea. Slowly she sat up, her face a grimace of pain. He approached her and placed his arm around her to help.

"Th—thanks," she mumbled once she sat with her back against the headboard. Sebastian handed her the cup of tea which she took gratefully. "That's delicious," she said with the hint of a smile while she watched him curiously.

"I—I have scones with raspberry relish, if you like," he said and gestured to the plate. Annie hadn't eaten since the kidnapping two days ago and felt how her mouth began to water at the sight of the delicacy on the plate. "I'm starving," she said and chuckled. His lips twitched upwards as he took the plate and handed it to her. He took the cup out of her hands and was about to leave.

"No, stay—"she whispered. He froze for a second until he turned to look at her. The color of his eyes reminded her of a warm chimney as he stepped closer towards her again. Her hand patted on the edge of her bed. The Butler hesitated for a second before he lowered down. Annie picked up the fork and covered the piece of scone with a bit of the relish. Carefully she lifted it up to her lips and finally pushed it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and munched on it. "Mmmh that tastes like heaven" she mumbled and earned an amused look from him.

"Heaven you say? I don't know if that's a compliment or not," he chuckled. She watched him curiously but decided to ignore that statement. She was too weak to ask question to which she would not get any answers at all.

"Let's say this is delicious," she said with a weak smile and continued to eat. Sebastian watched her, uncertain what he should do. "The—curtains. Who opened them?"

"Lizzy, why?"

"They are disheveled," he stated, got up from her bed and approached the window. Facing her with his back he began to rearrange the curtains. Annie couldn't help but giggle quietly.

"What?" he asked and cast a glance over his shoulder. She placed the plate on her lap and watched him amused. "You are so—strange. I mean, one moment you are the charming dancer, then you turn into kind of a—superman rescuing the life of Ciel and me and—and get shot just to arise as if nothing happened and—here you are now, being just a butler worrying about the curtains. It is confusing but also quite amusing."

"You think I'm amusing?" he asked with a smile and turned to look at her again. Annie shrugged and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear as she cast a shy glance at him. "Somehow, yes—"she replied vaguely.

Sebastian sighed as he approached her again. Carefully he picked the empty plate from her lap and placed it on the cart. "The young Master wanted to ask you some question. I said you still need some rest—"

"What questions?" she asked curiously.

"About Azzurro—but that's not so important now. You should—"

"—no, tell me. What did he want to know?" she interrupted him and signaled him to lower down on the edge of her bed again. Once he sat down he said,

"He said you seemed to recognize Azzurro. He saw some kind of recognition in your eyes."

Annie's gaze drifted to her hands. "That's true. I recognized him. When I was younger, I think I was maybe eight or nine—I saw him in the office of my father at home. I remember that I was afraid of him back then because of his scar. Never did I know he was part of the mafia. Sebastian—"she suddenly grabbed one of his hands which made him wince slightly. "What if my father was involved in the mafia business? What if—if they menace him somehow now?"

"Did Azzurro recognize you?" he asked curiously, unable to pull his hand away.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I changed a bit," she chuckled and saw a slight smile on his lips though he avoided looking at her. Silence fell upon them and with growing heat in her cheeks she realized that she still clung to his hand.

"Will you ever tell me what happened to you—I mean—"

Sebastian pulled his hand away and got up. "I will—but not now. We have enough time for things like that. You should not care too much about it."

"But I do—"she whispered and blushed heavily. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"I will go now. Call me if you need anything," he replied and finally left her room. With a heavy sigh he leaned against the wall.

' _What's happening with me? Why do I even care about her?'_ he thought as he pushed away from the wall, heading down the hallway. He still had other things to do. Dinner wouldn't prepare on its own.


	8. It's our secret

On the next day Annie was able to get up again, but the doctor had forbidden her to work for at least one more week. She felt more than bored by staying just in bed and so she dressed herself with the help of Lizzy. Unfortunately the girl had to leave the mansion for a while again which made Annie feel a bit lonely.

"I will come back soon, I promise!" Lizzy said outside the mansion and placed a kiss on Annie's cheek before she finally climbed into the carriage. Once the carriage was out of sight, Annie decided to take a little walk through the garden. It was a warm autumn day and she enjoyed the soft breeze playing with her hair.

As she arrived the Japanese style rock garden in the courtyard she lowered down on a bench and closed her eyes. With a smile she smelled the scent of the nearby bush of roses, the wind rustling in the trees and a group of birds happily chirping somewhere above her. Suddenly something brushed against her leg and made her frown. She opened her eyes and looked down just to be greeted by a quiet "Meow" from a black cat which had a white blaze on its forehead. The cat looked up at her and meowed again.

"Hey, little kitty. Oh, you are such a beautiful thing," Annie said amazed and bent down as far as she could without pain and ruffled the cat's head. It purred and pressed its head against the palm of Annie's hand before it jumped up on her lap. Annie giggled and continued to stroke the cat.

"I'm curious if I'm able to bring you into the mansion," she whispered and smiled at the cat. She cast a glance around and added, "Why not, huh? Come, we'll smuggle you to my room. I will talk to Ciel later," she signaled the cat to slip under her coat. Carefully she entered the mansion again and walked up the flight of stairs and along the hallway leading to her room.

Sebastian just left the lounge and approached her. "Do you need anything?" he asked as he stopped in front of her. She cast a glance along the hallway and over her shoulder before she leaned in closer to him. He gulped and bent down a bit as well. "I have to show you something," she whispered mysteriously and stepped away from him.

"And what might that be?" he asked curiously and watched her passing by to approach her room. "I will show you in my room. Come on—"she signaled him to follow her. He sighed and followed her into her room. He closed the door and watched her confused.  
"So? What's there you want to—" he began but fell silent on instant as she opened her coat and revealed the cat. He blinked multiple times, his face a mixture of confusion and absolute amazement.

Annie chuckeld. "Are you alright?" she asked and stepped closer to him, the cat still on her arm. The butler seemed to ignore her completely as he stepped towards her and began to stroke the cat.

"Look at her beauty—"he breathed. "And those tiny paws—"he added and played with the cat's paw, made it reveal its claws.

Annie giggled and turned away from him to place the cat on her bed. Sebastian was tempted to just lie down on the bed and play with the cat. His gaze drifted to Annie. "Where did you get her?" he asked and stepped closer to her bed.

"Found her in the courtyard. I thought maybe Ciel might allow me to—"

"—no he won't. I wish he would because cats are my favorite animals."

"I can see that," she chuckled while she watched his still stunned face. "But why wouldn't he allow it?"

"He's allergic to cats," he simply replied and finally found the guts to sit down on the bed as well to play with the cat. Annie turned away as a tickling grew in her stomach.

' _That's just my bruised ripcage'_  she thought and walked towards the window to cast a glance outside. The cat meowed which made Sebastian chuckle. "Oh, you're such a beauty. I wish I could keep you—"

"Hey, I found her," Annie turned and watched him teasingly. "She would be mine."

"We could share her," he suggested with a smile.

She approached him and lowered down next to him. "Too bad we can't keep her," she mumbled and stroked the cat as well. Her fingertips gently brushed his gloved hand for a second and made her look up into his eyes. She blushed a bit but finally found a heart to ask,

"Sebastian—that dress I wore at the ball. Did  _you_  buy it?"

He lowered his gaze to watch the cat before he replied, "What if I did?"

"Then I'd like to know why."

"I just thought you might need a suitable dress for a ball like this."

"How did you know I hadn't bought a suitable dress during our day in London?"

He chuckled quietly. "I'm sorry—but I put your new clothes in the wardrobe and therefore I could see that you didn't buy one."

Annie blushed. "Oh—yes, you're right. I nearly forgot about that. Uhm—well, it seems I have to thank you."

"It's nothing, really."

"It  _is_! No one ever bought such a beautiful dress for me," she said quietly and turned to avoid his eye-contact.

He cleared his throat and got up, the cat pressed against his chest. "I will set her free again."

"Can I come with you?"

A smile curled his lips as he nodded shortly. Annie followed him down the hallway and to the outer courtyard. They stood silent for a couple of moments; Sebastian still held the cat close to his body.

"You should put her down now," Annie chuckled and took the cat carefully out of his arms to place it down. It meowed and brushed along their legs. Sebastian's eyes grew even warmer and Annie could see he was tempted to pick it up again.

"You're too cute," she chuckled as the cat finally ran down the stairs and vanished into the forest. Sebastian's gaze drifted to Annie. "You think I'm cute?" he asked amused.

"Uhm—"she blushed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Are you—hungry?" he asked to change the topic. He felt quite nervous which left him more than confused. She smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, what's there for dinner?"

"Roast turkey with dressing and potatoes. As a side dish there are green peas and carrots. As a dessert I created citrus ice with cherry compote."

"Sounds delicious. Can I get some now? Or do I have to wait until Ciel got his dinner?"

"You're not working and therefore you're allowed to eat now. Come, I'll prepare a plate for you," he offered her his arm. She stared at him before she linked her arm with his.

Together they entered the kitchen and much to her surprise he prepared two plates. "I don't think I can eat that much," she chuckled and felt the sweet tickle again as he laughed.

"Well, to be honest, I'm hungry as well. Let's say this is our little secret dinner," he winked and placed the plates on the table.

She smiled and watched him lowering down across from her. "Fine. Just you and me," she whispered and made him chuckle again.

"Just you and me."


	9. Checkmate

"I hope you changed your clothes, Sebastian," Ciel watched his butler carefully as he entered the dining room with the cart filled with roast turkey, potatoes and dressing as well as green peas and carrots. Also a bowl with the citrus ice with cherry compote was on the cart.

The butler sent a confused look towards Ciel as he placed the plates on the table. "I think I don't—"

"Don't make a fool of me, Sebastian. You know exactly what I am talking about. I have seen you in the garden with the cat."

"I told Annie that cats are not allowed in here and so I set her free again. And, to answer your question, I did change my clothes."

Ciel nodded and picked a piece of meat on his fork and watched it for a second before he pushed it into his mouth. Thoughtfully he munched on it while his gaze drifted back to Sebastian. Once he swallowed it he shifted a bit and said,

"I recognized that you seek her closeness quite often. What was that at the ball?"

Sebastian tilted his head a bit. "At the ball? It was a dance, young Master. Nothing more. A dance to cheer her up."

"You don't tend to cheer anyone up, Sebastian. Don't lie to me. What is your intention?" Ciel placed the fork down and sipped at his tea. His eye was still fixed on the butler and Sebastian stepped towards the window to cast a glance outside.

"I have no intentions, my Lord. She is part of the household and therefore it's my task to make her feel—"

"Sebastian—"Ciel sighed a little annoyed. "You don't care about the feelings of Humans. You don't care about the feelings of any other member of my household. Why Annie?"

"It seems that is a question I cannot answer, young Master," he finally turned to look at Ciel again. The boy frowned and got up. "I'm not hungry anymore. Clean this up and do whatever you want. I'll read for a while in the lounge. Oh and—bring Annie to me."

"Why?"

"Since when do you question my order?" Ciel cocked an eyebrow. "Just bring her to the lounge in, let's say—," he checked his pocket-watch, "In one hour."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian left the room with the cart and made his way down to the kitchen. He saw that Ciel hadn't tasted the ice with the cherry compote. He smiled and placed the bowl aside on the table while he began to clean the rest of the dishes. Once he finished it he took the bowl and headed back upstairs.

Gently he knocked against the wooden door and waited patiently for a response. Just as he heard a shuffle on the other side of the door he began to question himself what he was doing. Before he could turn and leave the door opened and a pair of bright, green eyes watched him surprised.

"Sebastian? What—what are you doing here?" Annie mumbled and rubbed her eyes.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked and stepped a bit closer. She chuckled and looked up at him as she replied,

"To be honest—yes. Though I didn't sleep very deeply. Just a little nap, you know. After that delicious dinner earlier," she smiled at him and he knew—would he have a heart in his chest, it would definitely leap in this very second.

"I—brought you this—"he offered her the bowl with ice. "The young Master didn't taste it and I remembered how much you liked it and—and I thought it would be a shame to just throw it away—", his voice faded and saw that she simply blinked at him with an expression on her face he could not read at all and added hastily, "But maybe it was a stupid idea. I'm sorry for interrupting your nap," he was just about to turn and leave as she stepped closer and gently took the bowl out of his hands.

"I'd love to eat this. There's always some space for ice," she patted her stomach and giggled quietly. A smile flashed over his face as she turned to enter her room again. He stepped into the doorway, uncertain if he should enter or not and decided to just stop in the middle of the door.

"The young Master wishes to see you in one hour in the lounge."

"He doeff?" she mumbled with her mouth full of cherry compote and cast a glance at him while she sat on the edge of her bed.

"Yes, but I don't know why. Maybe he wants to talk with you about—Azzurro," he said and drove his hand through his hair while he avoided looking longer than necessary at her. Only a cat could be more adorable than Annie eating a bowl of ice.

' _You really have to stop this! Whatever you think might happen—it has no future!'_  he chided himself.

"You know, you can enter if you want," Annie chuckled as she saw him awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Oh, no—no, I have to—do something," he turned but stopped again as he felt her presence so close behind him.

"Well, then you can take the bowl. I finished it," she handed him the empty bowl and smiled again though a slight blush was clearly visible on her face. Sebastian chuckled and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and carefully cleaned the corner of her mouth which was a bit covered with cherry compote. She blushed even more but mumbled a 'thank you'.

"I will return and accompany you to the lounge later," he said hastily and finally turned to leave. He knew she watched after him but he kept on walking. _'Don't look back. Just go—'_

* * *

Once he reached the kitchen he cleaned the bowl and leaned against the counter. A heavy sigh left his throat when suddenly a scratching sound came from the window. He frowned and stepped toward it just to see the black cat outside. He smiled brightly and opened the window carefully to let her slip in.

"My, my, you really seem to like this place. Are you hungry?" he ruffled the cat's head and prepared a plate with the meat-leftovers and a little bowl of milk. He placed it down on the floor and knelt in front of her, watched her amazed while she sneaked towards the food and carefully began to eat.

"I could sit here for the rest of the day and watch you, you amazing creature. My world has pets as well, you know? But they are not the same," he whispered bitterly and smiled as she meowed while she nipped from the milk.

"Oh, she's back?" a voice spoke up behind him and made him turn around. Annie approached him, her hair bound back into a ponytail and dressed in black pants and a dark-red tunic. She knelt down next to him and ruffled the cat's soft fur. The cat purred and hastily swallowed the meat.

Sebastian chuckled. "Now, now. You don't have to eat so quickly. There's plenty."

After a long silence in which they both simply watched the cat he said, "Cats are good. They don't talk about unnecessary things or do them. They're cuter than anything else."

"I never thought about it like that, but you have a point. Cats are so independent. You can't teach them to obey you. They simply do things if they choose to. I wish I'd be like that."

"I think you are quite independent," he cast a quick glance at her and smiled. Annie sighed and picked the cat up on her arms. "And yet I was sent here. It was not my decision. I had to do what my parents told me to do."

"Don't you enjoy your stay?" he asked curiously and gently stroked the cat which was pressed close against her.

"You mean despite being kidnapped and nearly raped? Oh, yes I do enjoy my stay," she chuckled and got up to lean against the kitchen counter. Sebastian stood in front of her, his eyes fixed on the cat with a warm smile curling his lips. Carefully he took the paw of the cat and squeezed it gently, made her release her claws.

"Her paw is so tender—"he breathed amazed and Annie offered him to take the cat. "Oh, well, I have to change my dress again after that but—I can't resist," he took the cat on his arms and nuzzled his face into her soft fur.

"I wish I could remain like this forever," he mumbled and cast a glance at the clock hanging on the wall. "But sadly, we have to leave now," he signaled Annie to open the window again. The cat reluctantly jumped outside and meowed one last time before Annie closed the window again.

"I'm a bit afraid," she said while they left the kitchen and headed upstairs again. She had linked her arm with his because the pain was back in her rip-cage and had to be steadied a bit.

"Afraid of what?" he asked as they stopped in front of her room. She stepped away from him and replied,

"What Ciel might want from me. I mean, I can't give him any more answers. All I know is that that man seems to be dangerous and that my father might be involved into some business with him or his corporation."

"That corporation is called mafia," Sebastian replied softly.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, you're right. I still pretend that my parents have anything to do with people like him. It makes it easier for me to say he's working for a corporation," her voice faded off and Sebastian could see a twinkle in her eyes which was a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Uhm—you should change your clothes before we go to the lounge. I have to—I will be right back," he turned and moved down the hallway to enter his room. Annie sighed and stepped into hers to change her tunic into a green one. A couple of moments later she stepped outside and nearly bumped into him.

"Ready?" he asked with a smile and offered his arm to her. She nodded silently and let him lead her to the lounge though she already knew the way on her own but she was aware that she enjoyed his closeness more and more with each day passing.

Finally they reached the lounge and entered together. "My Lord, Annie came just like you ordered," the butler said and saw an amused twitch of the young Master's lips as he watched the butler and the girl arm in arm entering the lounge.

* * *

"Good evening, Ciel," she said and smiled uncertainly as she saw him sitting in one of the comfy armchairs, a table in front of him with a set of chess.

"Good evening, Annie. Take a seat," he gestured at the second armchair and Annie lowered down across from him. Her hands fumbled nervously with the chain of her pocket-watch while she stared at the chess-board. "How do you feel?" he asked and made her look at him again.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you. My rips still hurt sometimes but I hope that I'm able to work again in a couple of days," she replied and glanced at Sebastian who stood silently next to her. Ciel nodded and shifted a bit, "Sebastian, would you bring us some tea?"

"Yes, my Lord," the butler bowed and left the lounge again.

"Did you ever play chess, Annie?" Ciel asked curiously and gestured at the chess-board between them. The girl shook her head and smiled confused at him. "I learned a lot from my tutor at home, but chess was never part of my tuition."

"That's fine. I can teach you," he said and lifted the king. "This is the king. He's the one you have to trap to win the game."

"Sounds easy so far," she chuckled and lifted a pawn. "I think I know that these are called pawns, right?"

"Exactly," he nodded and took a pawn as well. "If you move it the first time you can move it forward one or two spaces."

"And after that?" she asked curiously, trying to keep all these rules in mind.

"Only one space after that. They can't move backwards and it's just allowed to attack the other's pieces one space diagonally from it."

Ciel continued to explain each piece until Sebastian returned with the tray of tea and two cups. He poured the tea and handed them both their cups. Annie smiled thankfully and sipped from the tea before she placed the cup aside. "Alright, I am ready if you are," she said determined and grinned cheekily at Ciel. Sebastian watched them confused and Annie explained, "Master Ciel invited me to play chess."

"Then maybe I should warn you that the young Master doesn't like to lose."

Ciel huffed. "I just don't like to lose against people using cheap tricks," he cast a glance towards his butler. Sebastian grinned and stepped towards a shelf to pick up a violin. He began to play a soft tune and Annie was distracted right away. Ciel cast a quick glance at her and saw her admiring his butler. "Annie? It's your turn," he said and pulled her out of her daze.

"Oh," she blushed and tried to concentrate on the game again. She stared at the board until she moved a pawn one space forward. They continued the game for at least two hours. Sebastian had stopped playing music a while ago and leaned against the window, his gaze drifted from the chess board to Annie. He saw how concentrated she was, willing to win the game and he could see that she was on a good way to do so.

Annie felt very tired already and just wanted the game to stop. Without much tactic she placed a pawn forward and heard a chuckle from Sebastian. She cast a questioning glance at him.

"Well done, now he's in check," he said with a wink and made her look at Ciel, afraid of his reaction. The young Master simply stared at the board and back at her, a pleased smile on his face. "That was a good game, Annie. We should stop for today. You look tired. Sebastian, accompany her back. I await you in the bedroom."

"Yes, my Lord," the butler said and offered her his arm again. She linked it with hers and wished Ciel a good night and thanked him for the game.

"Impressive that you put him in check even without knowing what you were doing at all," Sebastian chuckled as they reached her room again.

"It was fun, but I just wanted it to end now. I am so tired," she yawned behind her hand and smiled at him. They held gaze for several moments and Annie could hear her blood rushing in her ears.

"Annie—would you turn around for a second?" he said and earned a confused look. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just—would like to try something."

She hesitated for a second but finally obeyed and turned to face him with her back. Her heart leaped as she felt his hands gently opening her ponytail. Her long, blonde mane waved gracefully over her shoulder and reached down to the middle of her spine. She turned around to face him again and he had to restrain himself not to gasp.

"And now?" she whispered.

"You should wear it like this instead of the ponytail," he replied with a warm smile. "It frames your face like a precious painting—"his voice trailed off as he was aware of what he had just said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

She blinked and stared at him, unable to react.  _'Did he really just say that? What should I do now? Do something, Annie!'_

Carefully she stepped closer and tiptoed a bit. Her lips touched his cheek for just a brief moment and yet he could still feel them after she stepped away from him. "Thank you, Sebastian. For that wonderful day," she mumbled and blushed heavily.

"Anytime, Annie," he replied softly and watched her entering her room. With a last quick glance at him she closed the door. Absently his hand rose to his face while his fingertips lingered on the spot she had kissed just mere moments before.

' _This isn't really happening. This is impossible,'_ he thought and sighed heavily as he returned to the Master's bedroom.

 


	10. Let me comfort you

A couple of days later Annie could finally start working again and she never felt happier about going to work than today. Though she had enjoyed her free time, but it was also quite boring. Except the hours she had spent with Sebastian.

She made a quick wash, put her uniform on and brushed her long hair.

_'You should wear it like this instead of a ponytail. It frames your face like a precious painting.'_

She smiled as she remembered Sebastian's words a few days ago. Quietly she checked her pocket-watch and was aware that it was nearly six in the morning. Quickly she left her room and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where she found the three servants, Tanaka and the butler already gathered around the table. Sebastian was just about to give them their chores for the day and stopped for a moment as Annie slipped silently into the room and stopped next to Mey-Rin who smiled brightly at her, so did Finny and Bard.

"Still on time," she stated with a cheeky grin and pointed at the clock on the wall which just now showed sharp six. The butler lowered his gaze for a second before he looked into her eyes again. "Indeed, congratulations," he replied with a teasing smile on his face. She held his gaze for several seconds until he cleared his throat and let his gaze drift over all of them again as he continued,

"Well, it's nearly time to begin. We don't expect any guests today so it should be relaxing. Mey-Rin, you will service the linens. Finny, you will trim the trees in the garden and Bard, you will take care of the lunch preparations, please."

The three servants saluted and ran off to do their chores. Tanaka still sat silently at the table and drank his tea. Annie never really understood his secret or his tasks at all, but she liked him.

"Uhm...what are my chores for today?" she asked carefully and watched Sebastian expectantly.

"It's your first day of work again. I wish-you should prepare the tea for our young Master, while I make his breakfast," he said and put a pan on the oven and rummaged in the kitchen.

"You let me prepare his tea? I thought the life of Ciel is too precious, so only you are able to prepare all his meals including the tea," she stepped closer towards him and sent him a teasing smile. Sebastian didn't really look at her as he replied calmly,

"I trust you and I know that you won't use fire to boil the water. Now, go on-I already prepared everything you need. Just use it," he gently pushed her to the kitchen counter where she took the tea-pot and filled it with water. She put it on the oven and waited patiently until the water would boil.

In the meantime, she watched Sebastian cooking sunny-side eggs, salmon, bacon and toast for Ciel. He cast a quick glance at her, one strand of his raven black hair fell in front of his eyes and she hastily turned away as she felt a sweet tickling in her stomach again. Much to her relief the pot whistled just in that very second, so she took it from the oven and let some tea-leafs drop into it, which Sebastian had already placed in a small bowl for her to use.

"What kind of tea is that?" she asked curiously and looked at him again.

"It's Assam freshly imported from India," he explained as he arranged the breakfast on the cart. "So, let's get moving. We have to wake our young Master."

"And you think it's a good idea if I join you? I mean-you'll dress him up, won't you?" she asked uncertainly and took the tray. Sebastian chuckled and gestured her to follow him. "He doesn't sleep naked," he replied amused and saw her blushing a bit so he added, "You'll simply place the tea on the night-table and I'll do the rest. You will take your leave and help Mey-Rin a bit with the linens for a while."

She nodded and said merrily, "It feels so good to be back at work."

He smiled and stopped in front of Ciel's bedroom. "And I am glad to work with someone again who's not messing up the chores," he pushed the door open.

* * *

"Thank you, Annie," Ciel mumbled still quite sleepily as she placed the tray with the tea-pot and the single cup next to him on his night-table. She cast a glance at Sebastian who gave her a short nod to signal that she could leave. She bowed towards the young Master and walked towards the door again. Once she was gone Ciel looked questioningly at his butler who stared absently at the door.

"I suppose that is enough tea," he stated. Sebastian looked back at him and realized that the cup was already overflowing. He looked quite surprised as he saw the mess he just made and revealed a second cup from the cart and poured tea into it. Once he handed it to Ciel he bowed and said, "I am sorry for that mess, young Master. It seems-"

"It seems your mind was not where it should have been," Ciel stated with a blank expression while he nipped at his tea.

"Once again I'm sorry," Sebastian mumbled and pulled Ciel's attire out of the wardrobe. "Today you don't have any tasks. Do you have plans?"

Ciel placed the cup down as one corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"I think I fell in love with Annie," Ciel said and bit back a teasing smile to watch his butler's reaction. Sebastian froze for a moment and stared at his young Master quite in shock. Seeing his butler like this amused the young boy simply too much and broke out into laughter. "Oh, you should see your face! There's no need to be jealous, Sebastian."

"Who say I am?" the butler replied and stepped towards the bed again to help Ciel get dressed. While he knelt in front of him to button the boy's shirt up he avoided to look into his eye. "I never thought someone like you would be able to fall in love," Ciel suddenly mumbled quite thoughtfully.

"It is impossible and there is no need to talk about such things now, my Lord," Sebastian tried to avoid a talk like that. 'Is it really impossible? Just because it never happened before does it really mean it would never happen? Why do I feel so warm whenever she's around me? Why do I feel such a strange twitching in my chest whenever I look upon her face? Is that love? No, it can't be-' the butler thought, his mind plagued with all those strange new questions, his body filled with all these strange new feelings.

"You're always so proud about the fact that you never lie. That you always speak the truth. I think that is rare for someone like you. Why should 'love' be so impossible for you then? I mean, let us take a quick look at the previous weeks. You seek her closeness very much, you bought that dress with the mask and the shoes for her, you danced with her, you rescued her life-"

"Mainly I rescued your life, you should never forget that-" Sebastian protested but Ciel cut him off,

"You cared for her a lot the past week while she was unable to work. And now, just a couple of minutes ago, you messed up pouring tea for the first time we know each other just because your gaze followed her outside this room. And now, Sebastian, tell me again that you are not falling in love with her."

"I am not falling in love with her," Sebastian replied with a blank expression and finished dressing him. "Today's breakfast contains of-"

"Sorry for interrupting, but-the post was delivered and I don't know where to put it," Annie had just entered the room again with an uncertain look. Sebastian stepped towards her, feeling the gaze of his Master lying on him, and took the envelopes from her. The tips of their fingers brushed for a second. He cleared his throat and cast a glance back at Ciel who sat at the breakfast table and hid another amused grin.

"It's alright, I will handle that. What happened to your hair?" he asked as he saw hair wet hair-ends. Annie blushed and smiled at him as she said, "That-oh that is nothing."

"Mey-Rin?" he asked curiously with a knowing smile. She nodded but hastily added, "She didn't break anything! I found her in the library trying to clean the linens with a bit too much detergent. She used thirty instead of three spoonful of it. But, don't you worry about it. I cleaned it up and the linens should be fine as well," she reassured him with a smile.

"Well, I'd say you check on Finny and Bard now. Make sure they don't mess their tasks as well," he finally said. Annie nodded shortly and left the room. Before the door was completely closed she overheard Ciel as he said teasingly, "Seems she's the only one in my household today not messing their tasks."

"I apologized twice, my Lord. I can't do any more than apologize again."

She frowned and finally headed back downstairs, curious what might have happened. Could Sebastian, the perfect butler, really mess any of his tasks? She shook her head and stepped outside into the garden and squealed in shock.

* * *

"What on earth happened?" she asked as Finny came running towards her with tears in his eyes. He clung to her and cried out,

"Oh, please! Please, don't tell Sebastian! He will kill me this time for sure!"

Annie chuckled and ruffled Finny's hair as she replied, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Now tell me how could you destroy all those beautiful bushes and trees?"

"I-I forgot that the herbicide dispenser has been broken since yesterday. Oh, Annie! What should I do? Sebastian will find out and then he will-"

"He won't do anything that harms you. Calm down," she chuckled and tried to come up with a solution. "Well, I suppose the only thing we can do is get new trees and plant them."

"I don't have enough money to get new trees. Sebastian is giving me money when I need to buy new plants," the boy sniffled and brushed tears from his eyes. Annie sighed and turned to look up towards the mansion. "Fine, I will talk to him. Maybe if I tell him what happened he won't be too mad with you."

"You would do that for me? Why?" Finny asked amazed and watched her with wide eyes. She shrugged and sent a warm smile at him as she replied,

"I suppose I like you. You may be a bit scatterbrained but you're a good boy and therefore I have to make sure you stay happy."

"Oh Annie! Thank you so much! Good luck with Sebastian!" he swung his arms around her and placed a kiss on her cheek. She chuckled and headed back into the mansion where she immediately went to search for the butler.  
He might still be upstairs with Ciel, so she took the flight of stairs and checked the dining room just to find it empty. Also the lounge was unoccupied until she heard muffled voices coming from Ciel's study. She gulped as she remembered the last time she entered upon hearing noises coming from there. It ended up being kidnapped and nearly raped. Carefully she moved closer to the door and tried to hear who was talking. As she heard the Master and his Butler she sighed in relief and knocked gently at the door.

"Come in," Ciel's voice spoke up and Annie entered. She sent a shy smile at Sebastian as she signaled him to come closer. Once he stood close in front of her she said, "Finny-he needs money."

"What for?" he asked curiously and saw she became quite nervous. She began to shift uncomfortably and cast a glance at Ciel who watched them quite amused though his head leaned against the palm of his hand just as if he was annoyed about something. Annie leaned in closer to Sebastian. She wasn't aware that he shuddered slightly as her hot breath touched his ear as she whispered,

"He destroyed the trees in the garden. It was an accident, clearly, but he needs money to buy new trees."

Sebastian sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "Once again I wonder why we hired him. I will handle that-" he wanted to walk past her but she placed her hand on his chest to stop him. He stared down at her hand and back at her. She blushed even more and let her hand drop again as she said, "I will handle that. You could give me some money and I will give it to him. Please, he's really sorry about it and making a scene won't help him the slightest."

He looked upon her face for a moment; his crimson eyes found her emerald ones. "Fine, but tell him if something like that happens again he has to deal with me," he sighed and reached into his tailcoat-pocket to reveal a bag of money. He dropped it into the palm of her hand and smiled. "Once you're done with that-you should return to your room."

"I should? Why?" she asked confused.

"A letter arrived for you. But first go and bring Finny the money. I will put the letter on your table," he replied and turned her around and gently pushed her out of the study.

 _'A letter? For me? Maybe my parents wrote one. Do they plan to take me back home? More importantly...do I want to go back home at all?'_  she asked herself while heading downstairs again.  
Once she gave Finny the money and managed to get away from his hugs and kisses she chuckled and went back upstairs. While she walked along the hallway she thought with growing head in her cheeks about the short moment she had stopped Sebastian with her hand on his chest. And just by now, while entering her room, she realized that something felt strange about it.

She hadn't felt a single heartbeat under the palm of her hand.

* * *

_'My dear child,_

_I am so sorry that we have to put you through all this. I hope that Master Phantomhive treats you well just like we imagined he would. How do you like the work of a servant? Did you make friends already with your colleagues? Your father and I miss you very much, my dear!_

_We both hope that our problems are solved soon. Your father made business with the wrong people. That could have happened to everyone and yet it happened to us. I never thought it would._

_My dear Annie, never forget that we love you! At least, you are safe._

_If you decide to write a letter back, make sure you don't put your name anywhere on it. No one should know who we are writing to nor where you are._

_With much love,_

_Mother & father'_

Annie dropped her hand that was holding the letter onto her lap and closed her eyes. She felt how hot tears began to wet her eyes and once she blinked one single drop found its way down along her cheek.

She did not know how often she had read these lines now. Her gaze drifted to the window and with shock she saw that it must be later afternoon already. But no one seemed to try and get her. Maybe Sebastian knew that this letter might be from her parents and that she might need some time to be alone with her plagued mind. And yet she wished he would be there and hold her for a while, just to comfort her with the heat of his body.

She picked her pocket-watch and opened it. Thoughtfully her fingertip touched the portrait of her parents with her on her mother's lap. A smile curled her lips but her eyes grew wide in shock as she saw that it was already seven in the evening. Dinner must have been served already. She hid the letter in the night-table and headed out of her room and down into the kitchen. No one was there and so she slumped down on a chair and leaned her head into the palms of her hands. She felt so alone in this very moment. Each company would have been better than being alone. No matter if Finny, Bard, Mey-Rin or even Tanaka who never even spoke at all. Most of all she wished for Sebastian to join her.

Suddenly a hand was gently placed on her shoulder and made her wince. She looked up surprised and dived into those beautiful eyes again.

"S—Sebastian? I'm so sorry for being late—"she began but he cut her off immediately with a soft smile on his face as he said,

"There's no need to apologize. You received message from your parents and I figured you might need some time alone. Like I said in the morning, today is a relaxed day more or less so—you didn't miss anything important at all."

He began to put the used dishes into the sink and began to wash them. Annie watched him curiously and frowned again.

"You messed up a task today, didn't you?" she asked and saw his surprised face as he turned to look at her again.

"Nothing too serious. I spilled some tea while pouring it into the cup in the morning."

"Oh, I already thought you might have broken a plate or a cup," she giggled and got up to approach him. "I am glad that you are here now. I felt quite alone."

"If you need to talk about the letter—"

"No, actually it was a proof that my parents are still alive. That relieved me a lot but now I am once again questioning myself who my father made business with. My mother wrote he did it with the wrong people. What if he made business with someone like Azzurro? With the mafia. Though if he did I am certain they tricked my father. He would have never made business with the mafia of his own will."

Sebastian nodded slowly and put the dishes aside. "You look like you might need some distraction from your grave thoughts."

"And what's on your mind?" she asked amused and saw that he took a bowl, a whisk, a chopping board, a knife and some different food like chocolate, milk and sugar and placed it on the kitchen counter. He turned to look at her and smiled as he entered the pantry just to return with two white aprons. He handed her one and undressed out of his black tailcoat.

Annie stared at him while he placed the apron around his waist and tightened it behind his back. "Do you need help?" he asked as he saw her staring uncertainly and surprised. She winced and was pulled out of her thoughts.

"Oh, no—uhm—"she mumbled and placed the apron around her waist as well. Once it was tightened she looked at him again.

"Now I thought we could cook together," he finally explained and handed her a knife. Annie had never cooked a meal before and stood uncomfortably in front of the butler with a knife in her hand. Sebastian chuckled and gestured her to step to the counter where he had placed the chocolate on the cutting board.

"Relax, I will help if you need it. Look, first you have to shred the milk-and dark couverture chocolate. Like this—"he stepped up behind her, gently took her hand which was holding the knife and began to move it carefully up and down on the chocolate. Annie's heart was racing maniacally in her chest as she felt his warm breath touching the back of her neck.

"A—alright, I think I got it," she said after a couple of moments and began to shred the chocolate on her own. Sebastian smiled and stepped away from her. While she continued cutting he took a pot and filled it with cream to heat it on the oven.

"That should be enough now," he stepped closer again. Annie placed the knife away and watched him questioningly.

"And now?" she asked while he let the chopped chocolate drop into a bowl and filled it with heated water. He handed her the bowl and a whisk and replied with an amused smile,

"Now you will whisk this until the cream in the pot there is warm enough to be added."

"Alright," she chuckled and began to whisk in the bowl. It was harder than she had thought and soon her arm felt quite tired. "How long do I have to whisk? Is the cream cooking already?" she mumbled and looked pleadingly up at him.

"Just one more minute. It has to be smooth," he chuckled and checked the cream in the pot. Once it was boiling he took it and signaled Annie to stop for a second. He let the cream flow into the bowl and Annie began to whisk again, this time with her left hand which was not quite useful. She huffed and grumbled which made his chest twitch again. Carefully he stepped towards her and wrapped his gloved fingers around her wrist.

"Hold the bowl tight," he whispered behind her and together they started to whisk again for a while. Finally he grabbed a bottle of Cointreau and added a bit into it. After what seemed to be a life-time the chocolate cream was ready to cool down a bit.

Sebastian had created dough which was also baking in the oven for a while now. Annie leaned against the kitchen counter and giggled. "This is the first time I ever cooked something. Though most of the time you helped me, but it makes so much fun."

"I'm glad I could distract you from your sad thoughts," he replied while he stood next to her and looked down into her eyes again. "And—and you are quite skilled in the kitchen. I have to say that I had fun as well."

She smiled brightly up at him and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He blinked multiple times as a wave of strange new emotions washed over him, nearly overwhelmed him. He felt the strange urge to lean down and seal her lips with his. He was even more shocked as he was aware that he was already on the way doing it and much to his surprise she didn't back away.

With one last heavy breath he closed his eyes, so did she, but they never got to touch as the kitchen door swung open. Hastily the butler and the maid jumped a bit away from each other and stared at the blonde girl standing in the doorway with the brightest smile on her face as she squealed,

"Anniiiiiiie! I'm back!" She swung her arms around the other's neck and hugged her tightly.

"I can see that, Lizzy," Annie mumbled and cast a quick glance at Sebastian who took the baked dough out of the oven and bowed towards Lizzy.

"I will provide a room for you, Miss Elizabeth," he said and hastily left the kitchen.

' _How could you dare to even think about kissing her?'_  he chided himself as he moved upstairs to bring Lizzy's suitcase into her room.

' _Why couldn't Lizzy just appear a bit later?'_ Annie thought while she tried to concentrate on what her young friend was telling her about her stay at home in London.


	11. Midnight Talk

"You look troubled! Aren't you happy that I am back?" Lizzy asked concerned as she lowered down on the bench at the kitchen table.

"No, I  _am_  happy that you are back. It's just—," her gaze drifted to the unfinished cake on the kitchen-counter and a heavy sigh left her throat.

"Oh! I interrupted you!" Lizzy suddenly squeaked. Annie blushed heavily as she stammered,

"Wh—what? In—interrupted? Who?"

"Sebastian and you! You were baking and now the cake isn't finished because of me!"

Annie breathed out relieved for she thought the girl had seen more than she should have. "Oh, you mean—yes, it was my first cake I ever made and I thought it would be great to finish it. Nevermind, let's go outside. I need some fresh air," she said and hurried the other blonde girl out of the kitchen, through the entry hall and out to the courtyard which was leading them into the garden.

The air of the evening was surprisingly warm and the moon slowly rose higher while a glimpse of sunlight was still visible at the horizon, painting the sky in a beautiful shade of pink.  
The girls lowered down on one of the stone benches, both deep in their own thoughts.

Annie checked her pocket-watch and sighed while her eyes became teary-wet as she stared absently at the portrait of her family.

"Are those your parents?" Lizzy asked curiously and cast a glance at Annie.

"Yes, but that's long ago. I think I was five or six years old when we made that picture," she replied and fell silent again. Her gaze drifted up along the building to the room she knew was Sebastian's. Was he already in there? Or was he still up, taking care of Ciel in the lounge or in the boy's bedroom?

" _He nearly kissed me. I can't believe it. I wonder how his lips might feel on mine. I'm certain they're soft and—"_

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Lizzy's voice spoke up again and pulled her out of her thoughts. Annie blushed again, embarrassed by her own thoughts and avoided to look at her.

"Nothing, really—," she mumbled and fumbled with the chain of her pocket-watch. "So, how was your time at home?"

* * *

Sebastian stood silently at the window of the lounge and stared down into the garden where he saw Annie and Lizzy sitting together deep in a conversation. As Annie's gaze drifted upwards to the window he hastily turned away and saw an amused twinkle in the blue eye of his young Master.

"One might think you are a shy teenager spying the girl he admires so much. What happened to you?" Ciel asked amused.

Sebastian decided to ignore Ciel and poured him a cup of tea. "Lady Elizabeth arrived. I suggest you spend some time with her instead of meddling in my business," the butler said and placed the tea on the side-table.

"Your business? You seem to forget that you are mine and your business is my business as well," Ciel stated annoyed and sipped from his tea. "You should be thankful that I enjoy Annie's company here and I like to play chess with her. And that I promised to keep her safe."

"A couple of days ago it sounded to me as if you like the thought that I—," the butler fell silent and turned away from the boy.

"That you're what?" he asked with a knowing grin on his face. As Sebastian didn't respond the boy added, "I can't deny that it is interesting. Like I already said, I never knew someone like you is even able to produce such feelings."

"I don't plan to play with her, if that's what you intend to say," the butler turned to look at Ciel again and added, "I will tell her about my true identity before she—before anything would happen. Once she knows the truth, it doesn't matter anyway. She will never see me as anything else again."

"You think she'd want to leave us once she knows our secret?"

Sebastian shrugged and moved towards the door. "I don't know. If you'll excuse me, I still have something else to do."

Ciel waved at him with a bored expression and Sebastian made his way silently down to the kitchen again.

* * *

Once darkness fell upon them, the girls had decided to retire for the night. Annie sat silently in her room and read the letter of her parents again. She sensed in the writing that her mother seemed to be in a hurry while she wrote these lines.

She sighed and placed the letter back on the table before she undressed herself and turned in front of the mirror to check if the bruises were gone already. Her skin was still quite purple on the spots Azzurro had kicked her but it didn't hurt as much anymore. She grabbed her white nightgown and put it on.

It was already half past nine and she still couldn't find any sleep. She rolled around in bed and sighed heavily as she lit a candle on her night-table. Thoughtfully she stared at the closed door of her room, her mind was rushing and all she needed to do was talk to someone. Simply talk to someone who might understand her. Someone who never failed to make her feel comfortable.

She stepped out of her room, dressed in her silky white nightgown and a wine-red dressing gown to cover herself a bit. She sneaked silently along the hallway and stopped in front of the wooden door. With shaking hands she knocked gently against it. On the other side she heard quiet footsteps and blushed heavily as he finally opened the door.

"Annie? What's wrong?" Sebastian asked a little confused about her presence at an hour like this, only dressed in those sleeping attire.

"Did I wake you?" she asked but chided herself silently as she was aware that he still wore his uniform. His lips twitched upwards a bit as he replied,

"No, I just came here a couple of moments ago. So, what's wrong?"

"Can I come in?" she whispered and watched him uncertainly. That question surprised him a lot and he could do nothing else but nod. She stepped into his room which was quite dark, only lighted by two candle-sticks. Just like his presence did the atmosphere of this room comfort her immediately.

"You can sit down if you like," he gestured to his bed while he closed the door and turned to look at her again. The white of nightgown shimmered brightly in his dimly-lighted room as she lowered down on the edge of his bed.

"I couldn't sleep, because I had to think about my parents again. I really wish to see them again. It can't be that no one can help them. Why don't they just call the police? Scotland Yard or anyone else! They don't have to go through this alone! I want to help!"

"You can't help them alone," he said and lowered down next to her. "Maybe I could investigate a bit," he suggested and saw that her gaze drifted to him.

"You? I don't believe a butler can do better work than the actual police," she chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He shifted to take a closer look at her before he said,

"I already told you that I'm no mere butler. Annie, I can see how much it makes you feel low. You are afraid that you might lose your parents. Let me help you—"

"By investigating? You are not Sherlock Holmes, Sebastian. Right now there is nothing you can do for me."

"Then why are you here?" he asked carefully and saw a light blush on her cheeks.

"I don't know. Maybe because I thought—well, you make me feel relaxed. Sebastian—can I stay here tonight?"

His eyes grew wide in shock as he hastily got up from the bed and strode towards the window, facing her with his back while his still gloved hand rubbed over his face to calm down again.

"Alright, I should go—"she mumbled and got up to approach the door. She felt even more embarrassed now that she saw his reaction. Just as she grabbed the doorhandle he stepped closer towards her. Annie winced and looked up at him questioningly for she hadn't even heard him approaching her.

"No, it's fine. It's just—it's new to me. That someone really feels comfortable around me," he said and closed the door again. His gaze was soft and warm and Annie couldn't help but smile at him. Slowly she approached his bed again and slipped under the blanket. Sebastian still stood uncertainly in front of his bed.

"I—uhm," he began but fell silent again. He put the light out and got out of his tailcoat and the vest. Only dressed in his white shirt and the black trouser he carefully slipped under the blanket as well facing her. His eyes seemed to glow a bit in the dark, but Annie felt a strange warmth surrounding her again as she shifted a bit closer towards him.

"My mother often sang a song to me when I couldn't sleep. It is more like a tune, but it always helped."

He could see a soft smile on her face even through the darkness. "Would you like to hum it to me?"

She nodded silently and closed her eyes. Sebastian stared at her as she began humming a beautiful melody with a voice so soft that it felt like honey in his ears. He inhaled deeply, memorizing the scent of her body, the scent of her soul.

"Annie?" he whispered and made her stop humming.

"Yes?"

"I will help your parents. Trust me, Ciel and I—we will solve this case. No one will get hurt and you will be safe. I promise you that," he said quietly.

Annie was more than overwhelmed, though still uncertain how he planned to do it, but that didn't matter to her in this very moment. She shifted even closer to him and whispered,

"Thank you, Sebastian. I can't tell you how much this means to me. But why? Why would you do that?"

"Because—because I want you to be safe," he admitted quietly and gently took her hand.

"You still wear your gloves," she giggled and began to fumble at it but he stopped her.

"Don't—It's better if I keep them on."

She chuckled. "Do you have cold hands?"

"Maybe? And now you should try and sleep. No matter what, tomorrow at six a new shift begins," he said and felt her turning around facing him with her back. She still kept his hand in hers and made him placing his arm around her. "Then you have to keep me warm," she mumbled sleepily. He smiled and pressed her closer against him, held her protectively and warm in his embrace. Even though he had no need to sleep at all he closed his eyes simply to enjoy this moment.

' _I really have to tell her the truth before it's too late,'_  he thought and was well aware of a strange twitching in his chest. Something he never felt before. He frowned and decided to ignore it. His face buried into her long mane he smiled and sighed contently while he listened to the sound of her soft breathing.

* * *

**Two days later**

Ciel sat silently at his desk in the study looking through the letters that had just arrived.

"Invitations to masked balls. Nothing interesting at all. I had enough of these things since the last one. Sebastian, isn't there anything else you have for me?" he looked up at his butler who stepped closer towards him.

"Not an official business, but I made a promise to take care of a certain matter, young Master," he replied.

"You made a promise? To whom?" Ciel cocked an eyebrow.

"I promised to investigate the Conroy case. Something seems not to be in order, young Master. I ask for permission to leave the mansion for a couple of days to spend some time in the summer residence in Central London."

Ciel leaned back in his chair, his head rested in the palm of his hand while he seemed to think about it. "Will Annie go with you?"

"No! She will stay here with you and take care of the household. She can handle it on her own. I will prepare the meals for the next three days. If anything happens just call and I will be back."

"Fine, you may leave. Do what you have to do. The best would be you take Lizzy back as well."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Annie and Lizzy are friends. Give her the possibility to talk to someone—"

"While y _ou_  are not available for talking?" Ciel asked amused and got up to step toward him. "Did you tell her the truth, yet?"

"No, and I won't until I'm back. If that is all I'd like to go and talk to her and leave the mansion right after," Sebastian turned to leave the room.

He found Annie in the library cleaning the shelves. He knocked against the door and stepped inside as she turned to smile at him. "Finally you learned not to scare me to death when you enter a room," she chuckled and stopped cleaning to watch him amused.

"I came to tell you that I will leave the mansion for a couple of days. You will be responsible for Bard, Finny and Mey-Rin. I will prepare some meals for the young Master which you just have to serve at the normal dining hours."

"Are you going to investigate the case of my parents?" she asked eagerly and stepped even closer.

"That's what I'm going to do, yes. Like I promised," he replied with a warm smile on his lips. Annie felt an immense happiness once again and without much hesitation she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Sebastian," she breathed into his ear before she broke the embrace and stepped back. He blinked at her still surprised how much she seemed to trust him. And once again he felt the twitching in his chest and this time it felt as if something was growing. He couldn't tell what it was and he hadn't much time to even think about it that much.

"Do you think you can handle that household on your own with the three fools?"

She giggled and nodded. "Yes, I think I can handle that. And I can't thank you enough."

"I try my best to help you. Though I can't promise you that I will find much," he said though it was not the full truth. He  _would_  be able to find everything he would need to solve this case but he couldn't tell her that.

"I wish you good luck. I hope you come back in one piece," she said and looked into his eyes. They held gaze for several moments, a silence fell upon them heavier than ever before.

"I will—I will go now," he finally said, turned away and left the room. He knew the time away from her might give him enough space to think about how he should tell her the truth about him. He rubbed his chest as it twitched again and finally he left the mansion, determined to solve this case.

Annie, still in the library, stood at the window and sighed heavily. She wrapped her arms around herself and breathed quietly,

"Please, come back soon—"


	12. This is an order

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky while the streets of London were still quite busy and crowded. Sebastian followed the blonde woman for quite a while now while she had no idea of his presence. She carried two bags with different kind of groceries; a hood covered her head while she hurried along the road and finally vanished into a house with at least ten other flats. Sebastian waited for a while until he stepped out of the shadow of the nearby alley and entered the house as well.

He knocked against the door on the third floor and waited a couple of moments. He knew very well that someone was on the other side of the door already.

"Who is this?" a man asked suspiciously.

"Charles Conroy? Open that door," Sebastian replied calmly and added, "I come with news from Annie."

"Annie? You have my Annie?" a female voice now spoke up.

"Open that door and I will explain everything!" the butler said once again and finally the door opened slowly. A pair of green eyes peeked outside and Sebastian knew this could only be Annie's father for he had the same eyes like she had.

"Who are you?" Charles Conroy asked again as he saw the black-haired man dressed all in black.

"My name is Sebastian Michaelis. I am the butler of Master Phantomhive. May I come in now?" he replied and gestured into the small flat. Charles signaled him silently to follow him. His wife, Mary-Ann, stepped out of the kitchen and eyed him suspiciously.

"You say you work for Ciel Phantomhive? Why are you here? Is Annie—is everything alright with her?" the woman asked and watched him with fear in her blue eyes.

Sebastian smiled as he replied, "Annie is fine. I came because I made a promise to her. I promised to help investigating your matters."

"You are nothing but a mere butler! There is a reason we hadn't called Scotland Yard! Not even they would be able to help! Why do you think we live in this flat? Why do you think we sent our daughter away?" Charles growled and pushed Sebastian against the wall. "How dare you make promises to my daughter? Promises you are unable to keep?"

"I intend to keep my promises, Master Conroy. I suggest we all calm down and talk about your problems."

"Why would a butler help us?" Charles hissed and let go of him to pace up and down in the living room.

"Charles, please! Listen to him! He might not be here if he'd be unable to help! Come, sit down," Mary-Ann offered Sebastian a place on the sofa. He lowered down and thanked her as she poured him a cup of tea before she sat down across from him. Charles lowered down in an armchair and glared at the butler.

"So—you think you can help us?"

Sebastian shifted and sipped from his tea before he replied, "First of all—I'm doing this for Annie and not for you. I hope you understand that. Actually I don't care about other people's businesses except my young Master tells me to do, but Annie is unhappy whenever she thinks about you and that's why I am here. I want to help her get happy again."

"You sound as if you care more for her than just as a servant of your household," Charles grumbled.

"How I sound is not important now. Tell me, what kind of business are you involved in that makes you belief someone could hurt you or your daughter? Who are those people you fear so much?"

Charles shifted uncomfortably in his armchair and rubbed the wrist of his left hand before he replied,

"I don't know how much Annie told you about my business. I am investing in the upcoming expansion of the railroad network. I lend money for this, because my general goods store is not making so much profit in the past months. I met that man, his name was Dragan Vutic. He owns a loan business, came here from Albania to make profit with the railroad. I lost a lot of money the past weeks—but he wants his money back as well. I can't afford it. He was threating me; he said he would kidnap Annie and rape her, he would sell her as a slave or even kill her as a sign that he wants his money back."

Mary-Ann sniffed and dried her cheeks from the falling tears. "Please, Mister—if Annie is dear to you, please help us! Please, protect her!"

"That's why I'm here. So, you know a name and you seem to know where to find that man. Why do you think Scotland Yard or the police can't help you?" Sebastian asked curiously and watched Charles intently.

"Because they said they will harm my family if they find out I talk to the police! And they  _will_  find out!" Charles replied angrily.

Sebastian got up and cast a glance at Mary-Ann. "I will find them and I will stop them. No one will ever lay hand on your daughter!"

Without another word he left the flat, stepped out onto the street and sighed heavily.

' _Dragan Vutic—I will find you—and I will kill you! No one will ever threat my Annie and gets away with his life!'_ he thought grimly and felt his inner self boil and about to break free. He hurried into the next alley and vanished in the darkness.

* * *

"Actually I don't know what this is, but I'm certain it will taste wonderful," Annie said as she served dinner in the lounge. Ciel thanked her with an amused twinkle in his eye.

"You're doing great, don't worry. Sebastian will be proud of you," he said and saw her blush a bit.  _'So, it is true. The feelings are mutual. Now, this will really be interesting,'_  he thought and began eating his meal.

"Have you heard any news from him?" she asked carefully and watched the young Master in high anticipation, but her hope got dashed as he shook his head.

"Do you know where Elizabeth is right now?" the boy asked though Annie sensed it didn't care at all. She was certain he just wanted to know if he was safe from that girl a while longer. She strolled towards the window and cast a glance outside into the garden.

"She is outside picking roses," she replied calmly with a smile on her face. She turned towards Ciel again and poured him another cup of tea while he finished his meal. Once she had placed the dishes on the cart he got up and said,

"Care to join me in a round of chess once you're done with that?" he gestured at the cart.

"Sure, I just have to clean the dishes and will return right after," she replied and left the room. Even though Ciel was a very serious young boy, but he seemed to enjoy playing chess and Annie simply had the feeling that she had to thank him for giving her shelter, protection and work.  
She smiled as she pushed the cart into the kitchen. Finny, Bard and Mey-Rin sat around the kitchen table drinking their tea and chatting about all different kind of topics.

"I wonder where Sebastian is. He never left the mansion for so long without the young Master," Mey-Rin said and cast a quick glance at Annie in hope that the blonde girl was aware of the butler's plans and maybe tell them what was happening.

As Annie was still silently washing the dishes, facing the others with her back pretending not to hear them, she heard footsteps from outside. Shadows hurried past the window and a hushed voice whispered,

"Over there! It's her, no doubt! Get her!"

Suddenly a high-pitched scream echoed through the air and Annie dropped the dishes and rushed out of the kitchen, followed by the rest of the servants.

" _Lizzy!_ " she called as they burst outside into the garden, but Lizzy was nowhere to be seen and there was even no sign of any intruder.

" _Lizzy!"_  Annie called again but silence was the only response she got. Mey-Rin clung to her and cried,

"She is gone! Someone took her! We have to do something!"

Annie tried to sort her mind and finally turned to the others as she said determined, "You will secure the mansion! Make sure that no one gets in or out of here again! I will go and talk to Ciel!"

"Aye!" the three yelled and split up while Annie hurried up the stairs and burst into the lounge where she found Ciel who was already waiting for her sitting in his armchair in front of the chess-board.

"Ah, that was quick—"he began but Annie interrupted him quite out of breath,

"Lizzy! Someone took Lizzy! They kidnapped her!"

The boy twitched and stared blankly at her. "Who?"

"I don't know. I was in the kitchen and heard someone outside. They seemed to be looking for her because one of them said, 'It is her, no doubt!' and then Lizzy cried out and as we arrived in the garden no one was there anymore! I told the others to secure the building and the surrounding in case someone might come back."

He nodded silently and started out of the window.

"Ciel? What shall we do?" she asked desperately.

"Sebastian—"he mumbled as if more to himself. Annie frowned and was just about to say something as Ciel suddenly stormed out of the room calling,

"This is an order: find Elizabeth and bring me her kidnapper!"

Sebastian smiled as he watched the mansion of Dragan Vutic. A car had just stopped in front of it. Three dark-haired men, definitely east-European, stepped out of it carrying an unconscious blonde girl into the building.

"Yes, my Lord," the butler said contently while the color of his eyes changed into a sparkling pink, more like the shape of a cat's eye. He pulled his gloves off by using his pointy teeth.

' _You may have picked the wrong girl, you filthy rat, but your punishment will be the same!'_  he thought and jumped over the fence that was surrounding the mansion.

* * *

Lizzy's eyes flickered open as footsteps approached her. She felt that she was bound on a chair sitting in the middle of a dimly lighted room. She whimpered in fear as the dark-haired man watched her intently with his piercing blue eyes. It was clearly visible that he was annoyed. No, he was more than that. He was furiously as he spun around to his handymen and yelled,

"Are you kidding me? Seriously, does  _she_  look like eighteen?"

He grabbed Lizzy's chin and turned her face more into the light. "Tell me again—does she look like an eighteen year old girl?"

The two men shifted uncomfortably and scratched their heads. "Well, Adnan said you're looking for a young girl with blonde hair and green eyes and she was the only one we found!"

"Adnan! Where is that son of dirty rat?"

"S—sir?" Adnan's voice spoke up with a high amount of fear. Dragan turned towards the door and glared at him. "There you are! Tell me what happened!"

Dragan's eyes grew wide as he saw the stream of blood flowing out of the man's mouth.

"Lady Elizabeth—please, close your eyes," Sebastian said calmly and peeked around the corpse of the dead man which he still held in front of him as a shield. The girl whimpered again, but did what the voice told her.

"Why are you standing there like this? Kill him!" Dragan yelled at the two remaining men in the room but with a fast move a pair of silver knives impaled them. The Albanian recoiled and tripped over. He landed on his backside with a thud and crawled further backwards with each step the butler made towards him, his eyes glowing pink, his smile revealing his pointy teeth.

"Who—who are you? Leave my house!"

The butler chuckled. "Oh, I  _will_  leave your house. And I'll take  _you_  and the lady with me!"

"Wha—?" Dragan began as the butler's shoe kicked him directly in his face. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and he dropped passed out to the ground. Sebastian turned around and cut the cord around Lizzy's wrists. He knelt down in front of her as he said calmly,

"You can open your eyes again."

Her eyes opened carefully and a surprised look grew on her face. "Seb—Sebastian?" A tear rolled down her cheek as the butler picked her up. He lifted the unconscious body of Dragan over his shoulder and jumped out of the window. Lizzy clung to him and sniffled into his tailcoat. He placed her into the back of a carriage and paid the driver to take her to the Phantomhive Mansion right away.

Once the carriage was out of sight, he started to run into the forest to take the shortcut to the mansion.

* * *

Annie paced nervously up and down in Ciel's study where he sat silently behind his desk, his head leaning in the palm of his hand.

"I don't understand—why would someone kidnap her?" she mumbled more to herself trying to understand the whole situation. Not only the fact about Lizzy being kidnapped confused her—no, what confused her even more was that Ciel had talked with Sebastian. Without a phone. Simply by yelling some kind of order. And he hadn't done it in her presence at all, he had left the lounge and she was certain he had ripped his eye-patch down by doing so.

She was just about to turn and ask him about that as the door opened. Annie stared at the man in utter disbelief as Sebastian entered and placed the body of an unconscious man on the sofa.

"Lady Elizabeth is safe, young Master. She just arrived and will rest in her room now. I brought you the man who ordered the kidnapping," he said and bowed a bit in front of Ciel. Annie still stared at him and held his gaze as he cast a glance at her.

"Annie, do me a favor and take care of Elizabeth," Ciel finally said and got up from his chair to slowly stroll towards the sofa to take a closer look at the kidnapper. Annie hesitated but Sebastian signaled her that he would come and talk to her once her was done with his task. She sighed and left the room, heading straight for the room of the young girl.

She found her sitting on her bed, her arms wrapped around her knees while her body was trembling from crying so much. Annie immediately hurried towards her, lowered down on the bed and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you are unharmed. You  _are_  unharmed, aren't you?" Annie backed a bit away to take a closer look at Lizzy but saw that she had no injuries. Only her wrists were a bit red and purple from the cords that might have been bound around them. "What happened? Did you know these men?"

Lizzy slowly shook her head and sniffed before she replied, "No—I was in the g—garden as I heard someone approaching me. I—I thought it is you or maybe S—Sebastian but there were two strangers grabbing me and pressing a hand on my face with a cloth. It stank awful and I passed out quite quickly—"she paused for a moment to clean her nose before she continued,

"I woke up in a dimly lighted room. There was that man—he yelled at two other men and grabbed my chin. He—he said that I don't look like eighteen. He—he said they took the wrong girl. He called for someone and suddenly there was all that blood and Seb—Sebastian he told me to close my eyes. The next thing I know is that he told me to open them again and he picked me up and carried me outside with that other man on his shoulder. And—and Mey-Rin brought me up here just a couple of moments ago."

Annie had listened intently to that story. One detail had stroked her the most. "So, he said they took the wrong girl? He expected an older girl?"

"Yes, and one of the men said that the other had said they should take the girl with blonde hair and green eyes, but they wanted someone older than me."

Suddenly they both fell silent as realization showed up in their eyes. Lizzy took Annie's hand and whispered, "They wanted  _you—"_

A knock at the door made them twitch as Annie called to come in. Sebastian entered and watched Lizzy for a moment. "Do you feel alright, Miss Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Sebastian. Thank you—for rescuing me!"

His lips curled a bit upwards. "It's my duty as the Phantomhive Butler to take care of our guests."

Annie placed a soft kiss on Lizzy's forehead and said, "Excuse me, I will look for you later again. Sebastian—," she turned around to look at him and added, "I need to talk to you."

He nodded silently and they left the room heading to hers. Once they entered she asked, "Who was that man?"

"His name is Dragan Vutic—he is the man who's threatening your family."

"How do you know that?" she asked and lowered down on the edge of her bed. Sebastian paced up and down in front of her as he explained,

"I talked to your parents. They live quite incognito in an apartment in Central London. They told me everything. And your father revealed to me that Dragan had threatened him to kidnap you, to make you a slave or—or kill you if your father won't pay his debts."

"My father owes him money? That's what it's all about? All about the goddamn money?" she jumped up and approached her window to cast a glance outside.

Sebastian stepped behind her. Slowly she turned around to look up at him. "Did you kill him now?"

"No—"

"Will you kill him?"

"Only by order," he replied vaguely and turned away from her. "I do believe—no matter what will happen to him, that you will leave us anyway quite soon again."

Annie stared at him in shock. "I wouldn't—"she began and blushed as he turned to look at her once more quite surprised.

"Why not?" he asked carefully and stepped a little closer. She felt his typical warmth radiate again, comforting her which made her next movement a lot easier for her even if she was still immensely afraid of his reaction.

"Because—I can't go as long as I don't know what my heart wants," she whispered and gently stroked his cheek. A smile played around her lips as she saw the confused look in his crimson eyes. Sebastian, on the other hand, felt that strange twitching in his chest again, stronger this time. It felt like the twitching of a muscle—a muscle that wasn't even existing inside him at all. At least—that was what he thought.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his face leaned in closer down to hers while she didn't even back away. "Annie—"he breathed, still trying to prevent this from happening, but she tilted her head a bit and closed her eyes as their lips finally met in a kiss so soft as if their lips were brushed by the purest silk on earth.


	13. Farewell

Sebastian intensified the kiss for just one brief moment, before he pushed her gently yet determined away from him.

"What's the matter?" she asked irritated as she saw the shocked look on his face. The butler made a step away from her and ran his hand nervously through his raven hair.

He sighed and looked at her again as he finally found his voice again. "Annie—I can't."

She immediately felt how her eyes filled with tears. Desperately, she stepped closer to him and gently put a hand on his arm.

"Couldn't you feel it?"

Never before did Sebastian hate himself so much like in this very moment as he sharply turned away from her. "I felt nothing. There is nothing and there will never be something, Annie," he replied with a cold tone in his voice while his insides were bursting.

Annie could not believe what she was hearing. He could not be serious. After all what he had done for her so far; the night he had held her in his arms while she was asleep. And now he had also helped her parents.

"I don't understand—"she whispered with a broken voice.

"Just accept it," he growled and hurried out of the room.

Tears ran down her cheeks while she still stared at the closed door in utter disbelief. Like in trance her fingertips gently touched her lips. Just moments before Sebastian's sensual, soft lips had sealed hers and now he pretended that it had absolutely no meaning.

She turned to look out of the window as she felt anger building up in her. She did not care what he or Ciel had in mind for Dragan. This man would no longer threaten her and after all what had happened this night she came to a decision.

In tears, she pulled her suitcase from under the bed and began to pack. She would say goodbye to all of them next morning and leave the manor.

She would leave Sebastian and her feeling for this strange butler behind and return to her parents.

" _You idiot, Sebastian,"_  she mumbled as she crawled under the blanket in an attempt to find some sleep, but it did not surprise her that she was unable to sleep at all.

* * *

The morning sun rose up at the horizon as Sebastian opened the curtains in Ciel's bedroom.

"Good morning, Master. I prepared Earl Grey for you," the butler said shortly as he poured the tea into the cup and handed it to Ciel. The boy took it and sipped from it.

"Where is Annie?" Ciel asked curiously for this was an unusual sight the past weeks to see Sebastian without the girl. The butler pulled the attire out of the wardrobe as he replied,

"She might still be asleep. I don't know."

"You don't know? That's new—"

"Your schedule today—"

"Sebastian! I don't care about my schedule now. I want to know what happened! You found Dragan and he will never threaten her family again. She should be thankful, right? Was she thankful?"

"She was—"Sebastian replied shortly and began dressing the boy up. Carefully the butler buttoned the shirt up until Ciel suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"You buttoned it wrong," the boy said and gestured at the buttons. Sebastian sighed and began buttoning again in silence. Once Ciel was dressed up he left his room to enter the dining room where Sebastian had already prepared his breakfast.

"Today's breakfast contains of—"the butler began but fell silent at the sudden knock on the door. Annie peeked into the room with a smile at Ciel.

"May I enter?" she asked and Ciel gestured her to step into the room. She closed the door behind her and stepped towards the table, ignoring Sebastian completely. He shifted and poured tea into the cup.

"Won't you work today?" Ciel asked as he saw her dressed in her normal attire instead of her maiden uniform. Annie cleared her throat and decided it would be the best to simply say the truth without beating about.

"I'm sorry, but I just came to say goodbye. Now that my family is not in danger anymore I will quit my work here and leave in one hour," she stepped closer towards Ciel and added, "I can't thank you enough for what you and—your butler had done for me, but it is now time to return to my family. I hope you do understand."

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw that Sebastian stared at her in utter disbelief. She cast a quick glance at him before Ciel replied,

"I understand. Though I will miss our chess games, but your parents miss you more."

"They do, indeed and I'm certain you will find a suitable new maid."

"We don't need a new maid—"Sebastian finally found the guts to intervene but Annie turned to leave.

"Farewell, Sebastian," she said before she slammed the door shut. He stopped dead in his tracks while his eyes grew wide in shock about the current events. Annie was about to leave the mansion and it was  _his_  fault.

"What have you done? Did you tell her about your true form that she's leaving us now?" Ciel asked now quite serious as he saw the quite miserable state of his butler.

"No—she still has no idea and maybe it is the best. I'll take my leave now if that is fine," Sebastian replied.

"That's fine," Ciel signaled him to leave the room. Hastily Sebastian left and ran along the hallway. Without knocking he entered Annie's room just to find it empty. Panic began to grow inside of him as he realized that she really was about to leave. He checked Lizzy's room to find it empty as well and finally he ran down the flight of stairs into the entry hall. Annie and Lizzy were just embracing each other as Sebastian stopped next to them.

"You can't just leave," he breathed. Annie huffed and took her suitcase.

"I can't? Why should I stay any longer, Sebastian? Tell me, how am I able to work with you now?" she asked bitterly and stepped outside. He sighed and followed her, ignoring the curious glance of Lizzy.

Annie lifted her suitcase into the back of the carriage and turned to look at him again. "You know—I really thought we have a connection. You rescued my life, you helped my parents and whenever I felt sad you were there for me. And  _you_  nearly kissed me first in the kitchen! It's not as if the kiss last night was such a surprise! I really thought you feel the same, Sebastian!"

"Even if I do—it would not change my decision, Annie," he said and stepped a little closer once more but she backed away and huffed in frustration.

"Forget it!" she hissed and climbed into the carriage. Sebastian grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"What?" she sighed and looked up into his eyes. Sebastian gazed at her with sudden warmth in his eyes that Annie was tempted to simply wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him again, but then again she wanted to slap him and finally leave. She couldn't take it to be rejected again.

"I have my reasons, Annie," he finally managed to say, still holding her hand tightly.

"And what reason? Sebastian, I just want to understand you. Since the first time I saw you I wanted nothing more—"her eyes became teary-wet again.

"I can't tell you just now—"

She jerked her hand away from him and slapped him right across the face. "Forget that I asked! Forget that I was here! Just forget everything!" She turned and signaled the carriage driver to spur the horse. She climbed into the carriage and closed the door.

Sebastian watched the carriage slowly moving and heading down the path leading away from the mansion. A sudden pain in his chest made him wince and gently rub over his chest.

"I know I can't—I can't forget you, Annie," he whispered and turned. Slowly he entered the mansion again where he found Lizzy staring at him questioningly.

"Miss Elizabeth, I do believe it is time for your breakfast. Follow me," he simply stated and moved on up the flight of stairs. Silently the blonde girl followed him, curious what had happened between the butler and her friend.

She decided to pay Annie a visit once she was back in London as well. Never before did she have such a wonderful friend like her and therefore she wouldn't let it happen that Annie vanished completely out of her life, or the life of the Phantomhive Manor.


	14. The Truth

Three months already passed by and the Conroy family had moved back into their townhouse in White Chapel. It was December and the streets of London were already covered in a blanket of snow. The river Thames was frozen and the Frozen Fair had begun two days ago.

"Annie! Your cat stole another cookie! You really have to take better care of her," Mary-Ann called from downstairs while Annie sat silently in her room, knitting a pair of dark-red gloves. She had not the intention to visit the Fair at all; she rarely left the house since their return a couple of months ago.

Suddenly, a black cat with a white blaze on its forehead came running into her bedroom and jumped onto the windowsill. The girl chuckled and placed her knitting aside. She patted on her lap, "Come here, Bella," she said and the cat jumped onto her lap, purring contently while some cookie-crumbs were still hanging in its fur.

"You're such a little demon," Annie giggled and placed a kiss on top of the cat's head.

Her parents had bought the cat from the animal shelter two weeks after their return as a gift for Annie. They had sensed that their daughter was sad and seemed to feel lonely after leaving the busy and loud household of Master Phantomhive.

Desperately she had tried to forget everything that had happened during her time in the mansion. Everything that had happen between Sebastian and her. And yet, in some silent nights, her mind was still invaded by his beautiful eyes. Why couldn't she just forget him?

Thoughtfully, she stared out of the window while the cat purred and fell asleep on her lap.

"Annie, my dear? You have a visitor," her mother called and made her wince.

A visitor? Who might visit her? Reluctantly she got up which caused her cat to grumble quietly. Annie left her room and walked along the hallway and down the flight of stairs, when suddenly she heard an all too familiar voice squealing from the entry hall. With a thud, the blonde girl crashed into her and embraced her tightly.

"Anniiiiie! I missed you so much!"

"Lizzy? What are  _you_  doing here?" she asked confused, though deep inside she felt relieved to see her friend again after such a long time. Even though she reminded her of the Phantomhive manor again.

Lizzy broke the embrace and smiled brightly at the other blonde girl. "I came to ask if you'd accompany us to the Fair! I brought Paula as well, and I'm certain you will like her! She's my maid and such a lovely and always cheerful girl!"

Annie couldn't help but laugh. "Even more cheerful than  _you_  are?"

"Yes!" Lizzy smiled again. Annie sighed and cast a glance at her mother who just stepped out of the kitchen.

"I don't think I want to go there at all," she finally said and earned a scowl from her friend. Her mother nudged her arm and said,

"You should go out more often again! If I wouldn't know any better I'd say you're lovesick!"

"I am not lovesick," Annie protested and lowered onto the steps. Mary-Ann sighed and left the two girls alone again while Lizzy sat down next to Annie and watched her pleadingly.

"Please, accompany us. I really need your help."

That caught Annie's interest and she looked upon the face of her friend. "My help, you say? What's wrong?"

"Nothing...it's just...Ciel's birthday is very soon and I still have no present and I thought...well, you spent some time with him during your stay and so maybe you might have an idea what I could get for him."

"Ah...when is his birthday?"

"It's the fourteenth of December and that means only four days left! I can't visit him without a present! And it's even hard enough to convince him to celebrate at all!" she said and Annie sensed sadness in the other's voice. Lizzy grabbed her hand and shifted to look into her eyes as she added,

"I wish you would still live in the mansion. It was much more fun visiting it while you were there! How about you accompany me for his birthday? Maybe he will celebrate at least a bit if you're willing to come..."

"No! No, Lizzy...I can't go back!" she protested and pulled her hand away to get up again.

"Fine! But please come with us to the Fair! Please!"

"I suppose you won't accept a 'no', right?" Annie finally sighed in defeat and chuckled weakly as she saw Lizzy shaking her head eagerly. "Fine...I'll accompany you. Give me a moment to change my clothes."

"Oh, you're the best! I'll wait in the carriage with Paula!" she squealed and jumped up, leaving the house. Annie shook her head in amusement and walked upstairs to her room again.

Quickly she put on a pair of woolen tights, a black woolen dress, leather-boots adorned with fur and finally her white fur coat. She headed downstairs again.

"Don't forget your gloves, honey!" her mother called and threw a pair of wine-red gloves towards her.

"Thanks, mommy! I'll be back for dinner," she breathed a kiss towards her mother and left the house. The fresh morning breeze made her shiver and she hurried into the carriage where she slumped next to Lizzy.

"You must be Paula," she smiled at the brunette girl which might be just as old as she was, maybe one year younger.

"Yes! And, if I may say, your coat looks very beautiful!"

"Oh...thank you," she blushed and cast a glance out of the window. Silently she watched the snowflakes covering the glass while the carriage rumbled along the roads. The three girls were silent for quite a while, deep in their own thoughts until Lizzy decided to speak again.

"Do you think a ring would be nice for Ciel?"

"He already has a ring. I don't think you should buy another one," Annie replied and watched her friend. "It is winter; maybe you should get him a pair of gloves or some warm attire?"

"Oh! A cute hat! Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Lizzy squealed and clapped into her hands while sending a bright smile at Annie.

* * *

"Young Master, the carriage is waiting. We should make haste so we'll be back for dinner tonight," Sebastian was waiting in the entry hall, dressed in his black coat. He watched Ciel as the young boy approached him with a bored expression on his face.

"Is this really necessary? I'd prefer to stay inside where it's warm."

"Yes, we have to go. The Frozen Fair is a place where a young Lord like you should attend to. And a day outside in the fresh winter air might be refreshing for your mind," the butler opened the door for Ciel and they stepped outside into the snowy front yard where the carriage was waiting for them. Finny was sitting on the driver's seat smiling brightly at them.

"Good morning! I'm so glad to drive you to the fair today!" he called merrily and shifted on his seat, already quite excited to leave the mansion to go to the city as well.

"I just hope we won't meet Lizzy there. Though I'm certain she'll be there, but I'm not in the mood to care about her today," Ciel mumbled while his forehead leaned against the window of the carriage, thoughtfully staring outside while they rumbled along the cobblestone path.

"Mmmh..." Sebastian mumbled, his gaze just as thoughtful as that of his young master. Ciel cast a glance at his butler and frowned.

"And it seems you fear to meet someone very special as well," he stated and saw surprise in his butler's eyes. Sebastian stared blankly at the boy without giving an answer to that and he knew there was no need to answer at all. His master seemed to have read his mind as he turned back to look outside again with the hint of a smile on his lips.

 _'Thank you, for reminding me of her again. What if we really see her? Will she ignore me? Should I ignore her? No! I couldn't ignore her...'_  the butler thought and sighed heavily as the carriage finally stopped close to the Tower Bridge from which they could already see a large crowd of people on the frozen river.

Children were ice-skating merrily while their parents and all the other adults were strolling along the different stalls which were selling handmade goods just as toys, jewelry and clothes as well as special imported articles from all over the world.

The butler and his master stepped onto the ice, slowly strolling towards a stall with general goods when suddenly, Ciel spotted a crowd of policemen gathered together a bit apart from the actual Fair.

"That's a strangely high amount of police for such a small Fair, don't you think, young Master?"

Ciel nodded, the tip of his cane thudded quietly on the icy ground. "Looks like an investigation. Let's go and ask what happened," the boy said and approached the group of policemen with Sebastian right by his side.

"Good day, Sir, my name is Ciel Phantomhive and this is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis. It seems there is a crime to investigate?" Ciel introduced himself to a rather young man who revealed himself as officer Abberline.

"Indeed, there is. This morning, a man's corpse was found under the ice of the market."

"And?" Ciel asked curiously while he leaned a bit on his cane.

"The man was a member of a criminal organization. Well, at present, we are chasing after the culprit who killed that man as well as the ring he stole, embedded with a blue diamond worth around two-thousand Pound. The carriage was attacked while it was being transported as evidence, and it was stolen," Abberline explained.

"I think I know who might be able to help us in that case," Sebastian said and exchanged a meaningful glance with his master. Ciel sighed and nodded, causing Abberline to watch them confused.

"And who will that be?" he asked desperately as he followed them until they finally stopped in front of a rather small house. The officer stared at it in disbelief as he said utterly surprised,

"An...an  _Undertaker_?"

* * *

"Ouh, can't you take care of where you're going?" Annie grumbled while she struggled not to fall on her backside as two men ran past her. One brushed her quite hard, hitting her shoulder with his own and nearly sent her flying on the icy ground.

"Are you alright?" Paula asked and grabbed her arm to steady her again. Annie thanked her and nodded as she looked after those two shabby men who just vanished in the crowd.

"Yes...I'm fine, thanks. Where is Lizzy?" she cast a glance around and spotted the girl in front of a stall with different headgear. They approached her as Annie suddenly heard a familiar tune waving through the air, coming from somewhere nearby out of a music-box. Silently she began to hum the melody, for she actually liked that sound even though right now it made her also feel quite uncomfortable.

_'London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady...'_

She let her gaze drift along the crowd but couldn't see any musician nearby and shrugged. "Did you find a suitable hat, yet?" she stepped closer to Lizzy.

"No! They are not cute enough! I need something cute! Don't you think that Ciel deserves something that makes him look cute?"

"Uhm...maybe? I don't know, I never really thought about him like that," Annie chuckled and spotted a quite large group of people gathered in front of some kind of stage. "It seems there is some kind of event taking place. Shall we go and take a look? We can search for a suitable present after that," she suggested but saw that Lizzy was already off to another stall where she seemed to have spotted something. Annie decided to stroll closer to the crowd, curious what was about to happen.

She tried to take a closer look but she was too short to see anything from the place where she was standing and so she asked the man next to her,

"Excuse me, but what's happening over there?"

He smiled at her as he replied, "It's a contest! The best ice-sculpture will win that precious sculpture over there," he pointed towards a sculpture nearby. Annie nodded and thanked him as a man, seemingly the host of the contest, called loudly,

"First up is the 'Joyful Scotland Yard' Team with their 'Guardian of London'!"

The man next to Annie chuckled and stepped aside to let her move in front of him so she could see a bit more. Just in that moment a sculpture of a policeman was revealed and she bit back a laugh as she saw the low points from the judges.

"Next is the 'A chinese dress is best in miniskirt form' Team, but…due to circumstances beyond our control, we are not able to judge it!"

The sculpture of a naked woman was hastily covered again and the host called, "Next up is the 'Queen's Woof Woof' Team with 'Noah's Ark!"

The crowd gasped in awe as a huge ice sculpture in shape of an ark was revealed. Annie tried to catch a better glance of the sculpture while the host began,

"Well then, give your…"

"Wait a moment! You haven't seen everything yet!"

Annie gasped and stopped dead in her tracks as she heard that velvety voice. That one voice she would detect within a pool of a trillion voices. She had no idea what happened as the roof of the ark opened and sculptures of animals were revealed.

She wanted to leave that place before Sebastian could see her when suddenly she spotted the two men who had nearly knocked her to the ground earlier. They stood nearby accompanied by another man. It seemed they were taking place in the contest as well, and yet something was wrong with them. Annie could feel it. She shifted a bit closer to the side, still trying to hide from the butler.

"Boss, we can't win against that!"

"Damn! Then, we have no choice but to—," the man who seemed to be the boss slowly reached into his jacket and revealed a gun. Annie gasped and was just about to call for help as the boss of the group spotted her. With a fast move he grabbed her and pulled her towards the sculpture that had a ring on its finger. Annie struggled to get free or at least scream for help, but the man had placed his gun against her temple. "You better keep your mouth shut," he hissed close into her ear. "Or else you'll be the first to die!"

Suddenly the crowd seemed to recognize what was happening and some of the women screamed in panic and shock as they saw the man with the gun and the girl who was obviously his hostage.

"Listen, everyone! This ring here belongs to us! We will take it and no one gets hurt!" the man called loudly and finally caught the attention of them all.

"Annie—," Sebastian breathed, his eyes wide in shock.

"If you don't want that young lady here to die, then get lost!" the man called addressing the police. "I'll count down from ten!"

Annie's gaze locked with Sebastian's. Tears shot in her eyes as the man began to count. "Please—"she breathed and closed her eyes while the tears streamed down her face.

"What are you waiting for? My orders haven't changed! I want you to win this contest and now go and rescue her!  _Do it,_  Sebastian!" Ciel growled at his butler who nodded shortly and vanished into the crowd.

"Run, little nobleman! I'm already down to three. Do you really want to see her dying?" the man grumbled while he pressed the gun closer against Annie's head.

"No, there is no need for me to fear her death, because—," Ciel began but fell silent as he saw Sebastian approaching the man at high speed on ice-skates. With a fast move he jumped and kicked the gun out of his hand. He grabbed Annie and pressed her close against his chest while he jumped, twirled and duck from the bullets that were chasing them.  
With another kick, he knocked the two other men off, giving the police their chance to arrest them.

One arm was still placed tightly around the girl's body as he moved perfectly between the dynamite that was now thrown at him, exploding on the icy ground.

"Stop this madness! Don't you forget that we're on ice?" one of the officers called, but it was already too late. Parts of the frozen river broke and officer Abberline reacted quickly by pulling Ciel away into safety. With horror they watched Sebastian, Annie and the culprit going under water.

It seemed like an eternity when suddenly the ice-sculpture of Noah's Ark broke through the surface again. Annie still clung tightly to the butler while he grabbed the man and threw him towards the officer who arrested him immediately.

With a smirk on his face, Ciel stepped towards his butler and finally Annie opened her eyes again. She shivered immensely after her unexpected bath in the ice-cold river Thames.

"D—don't—I'm cold—," she whispered on the edge of passing out. Sebastian's gloved hand gently stroke the back of her head as he cast a questioning look at his young master.

Ciel knew exactly that there was just one right thing for him to do. "Sebastian—this is an order: Take her back home and stay with her as long as necessary."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian nodded, desperately trying to hide the thankfulness in his voice. He picked her up bridal style and ran. He ran as fast as he could, up the stairs leading onto the street and off to White Chapel.

* * *

Annie's eyes fluttered open with utmost willpower. Due to her massive headache, her vision was still a bit blurry. She blinked a few times while her hand dropped onto her night-table in an attempt to find a handkerchief for her running nose.

Gently another hand took hers and placed it back on the blanket. "Mom?" she breathed and blinked again, a cough built up in her throat and she sat up.

"No—your mother is preparing tea for you," that familiar voice whispered while someone patted her back until the coughing ebbed away and she let herself sink down into the sheets again.

Finally her vision became clearer again and she stared at the butler in utter disbelief. "S—Sebastian? What are  _you_  doing here?" She tried to lower the rate of her heartbeat, to no success.

"I will take care of you, Annie—"

"No! You won't! I told you to—"

"Annie! I  _will_ take care of you! Ciel ordered me to stay as long as necessary and you are still too weak. You are sick and that is my fault!"

She frowned and watched him intently. "Your fault? Why is this your fault?"

He sighed heavily and cast a glance out of the window. "I should have let you go. I mean, after rescuing you—I should have brought you to safety, but instead I kept you close and even under water. Without me you might not have this heavy cold and you wouldn't have to see me again," his voice grew bitter.

Annie could feel that her eyes became teary wet again and yet she felt angry; angry that she acted like this to his presence. She did not want to cry in front of him—did not want to cry  _because_  of him. He turned and was just about to approach her bed again as Mary-Ann peeked into the room.

"I prepared tea for you, my love," she said and entered as Sebastian stepped away from the bed again. Mary-Ann saw that Annie seemed to have cried, but she decided not to intervene. She already sensed that something connected her daughter with that butler. With that man who had helped their family, made it possible that they could live in peace again. She remembered how he had visited them first, offered them his help. She had already known that the butler seemed to have a crush on her daughter and it was just obvious that her daughter had a crush on him as well.

Carefully she placed the tray on the night-table and poured hot tea into a cup. "What kind of tea is that?" Annie mumbled and took the cup, enjoying the warmth radiating from the porcelain.

"It's herbal tea. The apothecary said this will help you get rid of the cold," Mary-Ann replied and placed the back of her hand on her daughter's forehead to check the temperature. "It seems the fever is not that high anymore, though you're still a bit warm. Drink the tea and let me know if you want some more."

Annie nodded thankfully and sipped from the tea. Her gaze drifted to Sebastian who watched her with an unreadable expression on his face. Mary-Ann smiled internally and left the room. Before she could close the door completely, Bella rushed into the room and jumped onto the bed. The cat purred and curled up on Annie. Sebastian stared at them both, pure amazement clearly visible in his wine-red eyes.

"I didn't know you have a cat," he breathed and unwittingly stepped closer. He reached out and gently stroked the cat's soft, black fur.

Suddenly Annie grabbed his hand. "Sit down, Sebastian," she ordered and he obeyed willingly.  
Never letting go of his left hand she began to carefully pull his glove off. The butler wanted to pull his hand away but it was already too late. With a quick move she finally tossed the glove aside.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked in disbelief as he saw her staring at the sign on the back of his hand.

She ignored his question and carefully stroke over the back of his hand. "What is that?"

"This—well, this is—simply a tattoo," he gave it a try. He couldn't find the guts to tell her the truth. And yet, something deep inside him screamed and tossed that he  _should_  tell her. That if he wanted to end all this, to prevent even more mess, he  _had_  to tell her the truth. She would never be able to look at him again if she would know and therefore it would be much easier for both of them to forget each other quickly.

"A tattoo? It looks strange. It looks so—sinister," she said and looked up into his eyes again.

His head hung low for one moment before he sighed again and looked upon her beautiful face once more. "Alright—Annie, that was a lie. This is not a tattoo—not at all. You always asked yourself how I was able to survive all the attacks—how to survive despite being hit by bullets straight in my head. The truth is—"he fell silent again, uncertain if this was really the best solution.  
She would be disgusted, without a doubt, and he was uncertain if he could take the look of disgust from her.

"Sebastian?"she whispered and nudged his hand.

"The truth is—Annie—I'm not just a mere butler. I'm one hell of a butler. Literally—I'm from hell."

"Ah—"

"Do you understand?"

"No, not really. You're from hell? You mean you come from East End?" she asked confused which caused him to chuckle quietly.

"Even though East End  _is_  quite close to hell, but—Annie, I'm a butler and a demon."

She stared at him, still unable to understand what he wanted to tell her. "A demon?"

"Yes, I'm a demon and this is the sign of my contract with Ciel," he gestured at the sign on the back of his hand.  
Silence lay heavily upon them for a couple of moments when suddenly, much to his surprise, the girl began to giggle quietly until she broke out into laughter.

He watched her blankly, her reaction confused him. "Annie? Are you alright?"

"I—I—ye—yes! Oh my, Sebastian—I didn't know you could be  _that_  funny!"

"That was not a joke," he said quietly. She coughed and giggled as she grabbed the little hand mirror. "Look into that mirror— _this_  is not what a demon looks like! So, if you are a demon—then I'm the Queen of England."


	15. Heartbroken

From all the reactions Sebastian had expected—this never even came to his mind. Annie still watched him quite amused and pinched his arm.

"Annie—listen, this was not a joke. This body—this is not my real form. I  _am_  a demon and I thought it would only be fair to tell you the truth."

She stopped giggling and watched him carefully. "What do you mean this is not your true form? What  _is_  your true form?"

Sebastian sighed and got up from her bed, slowly strolling towards the window which was covered by raindrops. "I won't show you my true form. It is too hideous."

"So you can't prove to me that you speak the truth? If this is a sick plan of you to get rid of me, just tell me that you don't like me!"

"That's ridiculous and you know that!" he turned to glare at her. "I believe I showed you more than once how much you mean to me! And that is—that is not normal, don't you understand? I am not able to have feelings for a human! I am not supposed to have—to have whatever there is inside of me since I know you! My contract forbids me to have anyone else by my side than my young Master."

Another cough built up in her throat. Sebastian was just about to step closer, but stopped dead in his tracks as she raised her hand to stop him. "Don't—"she whispered and patted her chest until the cough ebbed away. Finally she looked up at him again. "I don't know what I should think about all this. Of course, I was confused about all these things that happened to you. You survived so many deadly injuries as if it's just a scratch. And yet—Sebastian, if I mean anything to you: show me your true form. Otherwise I can't believe you."

"I can give you a quick image of the beast that hides in this body—"he said and watched her carefully. "Are you certain that you want to see it?"

She nodded silently and shifted a bit to lean against the headboard of her bed. She pulled her knees closer towards her and wrapped her arms around them. "I am ready, "she whispered and felt how her heart was about to burst in her chest. Never before in her entire life was she that anxious than in this very moment.

"Fine—do not worry, I won't hurt you. Look into my eyes, Annie," he whispered and waited until she gazed into his eyes. The pain in his chest grew more and more until his inner self finally broke out.

Annie's jaw dropped open and she recoiled a bit as she saw the glowing, pink and almost cat-like eyes and his pointy teeth. "Stop it!" she cried out while tears streamed down her face. She closed her eyes, buried her face in her hands. She felt that he stepped closer to her again and looked up at him. "Don't come closer! You—you— _monster!"_  she hissed and staggered out of her bed.

"Annie, please—"he almost begged her to calm down, but to no effect. She opened the door and pointed outside.

"Leave me alone, demon! All these horrific things that happened to me since I know you—this is your entire fault! But you won't get my soul! Forget it! Go and never come back!"

"Annie, listen to me just once. I would never do anything that harms you. And I don't want your soul—"

"I said  _go!"_  she grabbed his arm and pushed him out of her room. "Don't you dare ever coming back!"

He stared like in trance as she slammed the door of her room shut. Minutes passed by until his head began to hung lower, almost like a cat in the rain as he turned away from her room and slowly walked along the short hallway. On top of the stairs he cast a last glance back towards the door and sighed heavily before he ran down the flight of stair, opened the front door without saying goodbye and left the house.

He ran, he ran and never looked back.

* * *

Half a year already passed by since Sebastian and Annie had last seen each other. Summer broke free a few weeks ago and the sun shone down from the light-blue sky and covered the skyline of London in her golden light.

A carriage stopped in front of a beautiful summer-residence in downtown. The two figures stepped outside and approached the door.

"Young Master, it's been a while since you last went out. I'm certain you will enjoy the summer season in the city," Sebastian said as they stepped into the house.

Ciel sighed heavily while his gaze drifted along the entry hall. "You know very well that I hate going to crowded places."

Sebastian chuckled and took the hat of his young Master. "But maybe being away from the mansion is okay...for a change. And isn't it much more peaceful without those four servants by your side?"

"If you say so. Anyway, what is that noise?" Ciel said and listened more carefully, aware that someone definitely was in the house. "It's comig from the lounge," he said and moved forward but Sebastian held him back.

"I'll go first," he said with a determined smile. He approached the door, Ciel right behind. Once he pushed the door open they found the lounge in quite a mess.

"Madam Red? Lau? Why are you here?" Ciel called in utter disbelief. The red haired woman turned around surprised,

"Ah! You came back so quickly! And what I am doing here? My cute little nephew is in London! How could I not come and visit you while I'm here as well?"

"If I would have known about your visit, I would have prepared accommodation for you earlier. I'll go and prepare tea for you immediately," Sebastian excused himself.

Once he entered the kitchen and waited that the tea-water would boil, his mind was suddenly invaded by Annie again. In all those past months he never really allowed himself to think about her; always kept himself busy to numb the constant pain in his chest. Ciel had never mentioned her again since Sebastian had informed him about the events in the night he had revealed the truth to her.

He prepared the tea and returned to the lounge. Madam Red took the cup with a thankful smile and tasted it. "Delicious! I never thought one sort of tea can taste so different depending on the way of making it," she turned around to cast a glance at her own butler and added, "Grell, you should follow his example!"

"Y-Yes," the Barnett butler said quietly. Madam Red chuckled as she sent a cheeky smile at Sebastian. "No matter what, everytime I see you, you're still so handsome." She caught him quite off guard as she gave him a quick spank on his backside.

"Stop that!" he hissed and earned a dark scowl from Ciel. To avoid any questions, the young boy intervened,

"Let's talk seriously now. I've heard about the case of prostitutes being murdered on the streets lately."

"Oh, yes, I heard about that on the news. Tragic, real tragic..." Madam Red mumbled. "Though, at least, the murderer seems to concentrate on prostitutes. Imagine someone would randomly kill a beautiful young lady at night," she added.

Sebastian stiffened a bit, but kept silent. Ciel cast a quick glance at him before he added, "Nevertheless, this isn't just some ordinary case. The ways of the killer are very special. Though I should say abnormal. That's why the Queen is so concerned about it."

"You seem to have more information about it than we have," Madam Red said curiously and shifted to take a better look at her nephew, but it was Sebastian who answered,

"The prostitute was called Mary Ann Nichols. The wounds looked like they were from some kind of sharp tool, using quick cuts, with a painful death."

When he had first heard about that case, without the info about the victim's job and last name he immediately thought about Mary-Ann Conroy and he had feared Annie's mother would have been killed. Much to his relief, it was just a prostitute. He couldn't care less about the life of those women.

"Is it just me, or is your butler quite distracted?" Madam Red leaned in closer to Ciel.

"It may appear so...in fact he is already thinking about the case, right? Sebastian?" the young boy said intently.

"Yes, that's correct," Sebastian faked a smile and tried to concentrate again. He hadn't thought about Annie or Annie's family for all those months; he wouldn't start now that they had important work to do. He turned to look at them all as he explained,

"Anyway, the police and other prostitutes call the murdere Jack the Ripper."

"Jack the Ripper, eh? Such a cruel name..." Lau said and shifted on the sofa.

"We should investigate further. Examine the crime-scene and try to find evidences of the murderer. And even though he only killed two prostitutes does not mean he specializes on them. We can't be certain how many women he will kill. I am quite concerned about my fiancee and...," Ciel cast a glance at Sebastian who stared blankly at him before the boy added, "And all the other innocent women in this city."

"Such noble motives," Madam Red squealed. Ciel faked a smile and leaned back in his armchair.

* * *

"I can't believe it! My girl! My little girl!" Corinne sobbed while Mary Ann placed a tray of tea on the table.

"I am so sorry for your loss," she said comfortingly and stroked the other woman's hand. "I just don't understand. How is it possible? That man only killed prostitutes until now..."

"Amanda was no prostitute!" Annie said as she entered the living room, her eyes red from crying. Just a couple of moments ago she had heard about the horrible murder of her best friend Amanda. "Who would murder a young sewer? She never harmed anyone!"

"T—the police couldn't find an answer to that, yet," Corinne said and looked up at Annie. "Annie, you've been her b-best friend. Did she tell you anything? About a man she was seeing?"

"No—she was quite shy when it came to boys. I always had the feeling she's very careful whenever someone tried to ask her out."

"So she had admirers?"

"Just a few, but no one of them would be able to kill so brutally," she replied and cast a glance out of the window. People strolled along the street, careless as if nothing had happened. As if no women were murdered the past weeks. She sighed heavily and turned away from the window. "Excuse me, but...I need some time alone."

"If you remember anything, even you think it is not important, please tell me, alright?" Corinne begged and earned a silent nod from Annie before she left the living room. She entered the kitchen and poured a glass of milk which she drowned in one sip.

_Meow_

Bella just entered the kitchen through the open window and strolled between her legs. Annie smiled weakly and picked her cat up from the ground.

"Did you witness anything, Bella?" she whispered but got no response, of course. The tiny bell on the cat's collar tingled quietly as she jumped out of Annie's arms and ran towards the front door. "You just came from outside. Now you want to go again?"

_Meow_

Bella scratched at the wooden door and cast a glance back at the girl. Annie frowned. "Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked and bent down to ruffle her cat's head. She meowed again and the feeling inside Annie grew even more that something was strange about her cat.

"Mom! I...I need some fresh air. I will go for a walk," she called and grabbed her coat.

"Please, don't go too far! We don't know if that man is still out there!" Mary Ann called concerned.

"I'll stay nearby, don't worry," she replied and finally opened the door. Bella rushed outside and stopped to cast a glance back at Annie. "Yes, I'm coming, don't be so impatient," she said and closed the door to follow her cat down the road.

"Bella, where are you leading me to?" she called and ignored the curious glances of some of the people passing by. The cat continued to stroll along the road, casting a glance back from time to time as if to make sure that Annie was still behind her.

After a twenty minute walk the cat finally jumped up onto a fence that surrounded a quite beautiful house built of white marble. Annie had no idea who was living in this house, but her cat acted as if it was important that she finds out.

She cast a glance along the road again before she carefully opened the gate and stepped towards the front door. Bella stayed on a pillar next to the gate and watched her.

"That's insane...what if the murderer lives here?" she mumbled. With trembling hands she knocked against the door.

Her heart was banging rapidly in her chest, afraid of whoever might open that door. As the door opened she gasped and stepped back in shock.

" _You_! What are  _you_  doing here?" she breathed in disbelief as she stared at him.

Sebastian couldn't even move as he gazed into those emerald eyes after seven month of not seeing her.

Silence fell upon them as their gazes locked.


	16. New Chance

Time seemed to stand still while they gazed at each other. Neither of them could believe that this situation was real for it was simply impossible, at least Annie thought so. How on earth could she end up in front of the only house in London which seemed to belong to Ciel Phantomhive?

With utmost willpower she unglued her eyes from Sebastian's and cast a quick glance back over her shoulder and saw Bella curled up on top of the pillar.

"Annie, what are you doing here?" Sebastian finally found his voice again. Six months—six month had passed by and now she stood right in front of him again and her beauty radiated even more than ever before. It struck him right in his chest and his eyes softened with each second that passed by until her voice pulled him out of his daze.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," she replied and turned away from him again. That was as she suddenly stopped dead in her track and looked at him again. This time there was no confusion anymore, but pain and anger clearly written on her face.

She stepped towards him and buried her finger in his chest as she hissed, " _You!_  You are back in London just now that something horrible happened again! It is  _your_ fault, demon! I wouldn't wonder if  _you_  are the one who kills all those women out there!"

He sighed heavily and grabbed her hand, making her wince a bit, though more in surprise than in pain. She tried to yank her hand away, to no effect.

"Let me go, demon!" she hissed again and yet her anger seemed to turn into helplessness.

"Humans can be more evil than the cruelest demon, Annie. And I am by far not the cruelest of my race. All I want is—I just want to explain it to you. You should try and understand before you judge me for something I can't change. I am what I am—and I think I never gave you the impression that I would hurt you in any way. If anything, I wanted to make you happy."

" _Sebastian!_  Who is there at the door?" Ciel called from the lounge for he already wondered where his butler was after he had excused himself to open the door.

The butler and the girl fell silent once again and just by now Sebastian realized that he was still holding her hand. Reluctantly he let go of her and already prepared himself that she would leave him once again. But Annie stayed and quietly sobbed,

"She is dead—Amanda, she was my best friend and now she's dead."

He felt the urge to pull her into his arms, to comfort her just like he had done all those times before and yet he knew this would only make her feel uncomfortable. She was still afraid of his true identity, but at the same time he could see that she was torn apart. She wanted to be close to him but also push him away.

"I don't know what brought you here—"

"My cat—"she whispered and he couldn't help but chuckle quietly as he spotted Bella who was sleeping and purring contently.

"Your cat brought you to me—I mean to this house. I am far from believing in fate, but all I can see is that we haven't seen each other for such a long time and now that I am here—your cat leads you to me in times of your sorrow. Annie, please come in and let me help."

Annie watched him uncertainly, but could not deny that he had a point. From all the houses she could have end up it was the one he and Ciel were living in right now. Her insides turmoil again, her mind was plagued once more about the fact that he was not even a human. At the same time, her heart was screaming for his—if even existent.

"Sebastian, what's wrong?" Ciel stepped out of the lounge and stared at Annie who seemed to be in a quite miserable state. "Now that's a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Her friend died—"Sebastian replied instead and sent his master a meaningful look. Ciel knew exactly what he meant and stepped towards the girl.

"No matter what happened between you and my butler—that should not affect this case. Please, come and tell us what happened," he said and smiled encouragingly at her. And though Annie still didn't understand the relationship between that young boy and the demon butler, she reluctantly stepped into the house. Sebastian closed the door and turned to look at her. Ciel could see something in his butler's eyes that has never been there before, not even during Annie's time as a maid in his household—he saw a sparkle.

"Sebastian, prepare some tea for us. We're in the lounge," the boy said and gestured Annie to follow him.

"Yes—my Lord," the butler mumbled and went to the kitchen.

* * *

"Sit down, Annie," Ciel offered her a seat in an armchair close to the open window. A warm breeze caressed her face and she leaned back into the chair. "I know this might not be the best moment to ask, but—why did you break the contact to us?"

She huffed and looked at him while he was sitting in the second armchair across from her. "I'm certain you know the answer very well. Your butler is a demon and I don't want to be dragged into the darkness of his life."

"He's not dragging you anywhere, Annie. Yes, he is a demon and yes we have a contract with each other. But apart from that he changed since he knows you."

She kept silent and stared out of the window quite thoughtfully. Ciel sighed and was about to add something, but fell silent as Sebastian entered the lounge with a tray of tea. He set it down on the table between them and poured the tea into the two cups.

"Thank you—Sebastian," Annie mumbled quietly and sipped from the tea. Silence fell upon them until she finally sighed and said,

"Amanda was such a cheerful girl. But she was also very careful when it came to men. She never had a relationship. I don't know who might want to k—kill her—"her voice broke as tears built up in her eyes.

Sebastian was just about to step closer but Ciel signaled him to stop and shortly shook his head. The butler stopped, though his urge to wrap his arms around her grew immensely.

' _Oh, please—don't cry—'_

"So, she was the latest victim—"Ciel mumbled. "We have seen her body," he added and saw a shocked expression on the girl's face.

"Is that the reason why you are here?"she asked carefully and cast a quick glance at Sebastian.

"We are here to investigate in that case, yes," the butler replied calmly and bit back a smile as he saw her surprised face. "I see it confuses you that my Master and I are investigating in something you think obviously  _I_  did."

He didn't mean to sound sassy, it just happened.

"You think you are  _so_  clever, do you?" she grumbled and folded her arms in front of her chest and glared at him.

"No, I don't think I'm clever, Annie. I know that I  _am_  clever," he said with a cheeky smile.

"If the two of you are finished now—"Ciel sighed and folded his hands and leaned his chin on them.

"I am sorry, young Master," Sebastian tilted his head a bit and gestured Ciel to continue. The young boy nodded and said,

"So, Annie—the press might not write about it, but we talked with the Undertaker and he revealed to us that the murdered women all had one thing in common."

"And what is it?" Annie shifted and watched him intently. She needed to know the reason—at least, a bit of a reason  _why_  her friend was killed.

"All of them were—incomplete. Their wombs were gone."

"Their wombs? I don't understand—who would kill a woman and take her—womb? Even though the streets are less crowded in the night, but someone might have seen something! Someone must have seen something! No one can just cut an organ out of another body without being seen!"

Annie felt helpless and got up. She stepped closer to the window and cast a glance down into the garden that was blooming beautifully.

"Let's just say that there aren't very many people out on the streets late at night, but accurately cutting out specific organs couldn't be done by a regular person," Sebastian said and caused her to turn around. She watched him curiously and asked,

"What do you mean?"

"From the looks of the culprit's work, that cruel accuracy definitely wasn't carried out by a normal citizen. It had to have been someone experienced."

"Like a doctor?" she stepped closer towards him.

Each step she made closer, the more he felt his new blooming heart twitch in his chest. "I—I don't know. But it's very likely that the murderer is an expert."

"Whatever this is about, we can be certain that someone with such a dark and sick mind wouldn't go around and murder random people for no reason. There must be an influence manipulating him from behind," Ciel said to break the sudden silence that had lain upon the room while Sebastian and Annie had simply gazed into each other's eyes.

"All that we know is that the murderer should be an anatomical expert, but he must also have knowledge of the police-network. He knows where they are when he commits the crime. The culprit could be taking away the organs for some kind of ceremony or because he's with some Black Magic cult," Sebastian suggested.

Annie sighed and checked her pocket-watch. "I should go—my parents will be concerned if I stay away longer than necessary."

"You shouldn't go alone," Sebastian stepped towards her. "Please, let me accompany you home," he offered and cast a glance at Ciel who nodded slowly.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Annie mumbled.

"It would relief me to know that you arrive safely home, Annie," Ciel intervened and added, "And with Sebastian at your side you can't be any safer."

Uncertainly she watched the butler and his Master.  _'Maybe they are right. But how can Ciel be so sure that Sebastian won't harm me—Oh, Annie, you're ridiculous! Did he ever try to harm you? No—if anything, he really just comforted you in any way possible!'_

"Fine," she finally sighed in defeat. She smiled weakly at Ciel as she said, "I'm glad that we met again, even under those horrible circumstances. If you hear anything about that case—please, let me know. I need to know the reason for this madness."

"We'll stay in contact, Annie. Take care of yourself," he sent her a smile and addressed his butler, "Make sure she arrives home safely."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian bowed his head a bit and offered his hand to Annie which she ignored.

"I can walk by myself, thank you," she said and moved past him out of the lounge. He stared after her and blinked multiple times before he followed her out of the house.

Bella was already gone and Annie was certain the cat was at home, lying on the windowsill and waiting for her to return. She smiled, still confused about the recent events. Silently she and Sebastian walked side by side along the road.

"Sebastian?" she suddenly whispered and stopped in front of her house.

"Yes, Annie?"

He could see she was uncertain how to say what she wanted to say. A soft breeze played gently with her golden hair. Finally she looked into his eyes again.

"I—I missed you," she admitted with tears in her eyes. "No matter how shocked I am, no matter how angry and disgusted I was by you—my life was never the same again. And I don't understand why I missed you. The only thing I know is—that I did."

He hesitated for a second before he carefully took her hand. He expected that she pulled it away, that she would slap him or do anything that would show him she would never ever let him be any closer than now. But she simply stared at her hand that lay so perfectly in his gloved one just as if it belonged right there and nowhere else.

"I know you still need time. And your mind is plagued with other things right now, but let me just tell you this: I would never harm you. I have feelings for you no demon should ever have for a human and yet I have. And I can't change it anymore. I just hope that—that once that case is solved—that we can come together again, in peace, and that you let me explain everything to you. That you let me explain myself to you. Annie, are you willing to do that?"

Annie watched him still a little confused but couldn't help and smile as she saw him giving her an almost puppy-eyed look. Her heart leaped in her chest as she unwittingly squeezed his hand.

"I do, Sebastian," she breathed and turned away from him to open the front door of her house. "I really do—"she smiled at him again and closed the door.

The butler turned and walked back down the road—happiness clearly written on his face.

 


	17. Call me maybe

Ciel stared in utter disbelief at the outfit that was placed on top of his bed. His gaze drifted to Sebastian, an angry flash shown in his ocean-blue eye.

"You got to be kidding me! I won't wear that!" he pointed at the pink ruffled dress and the hat which was adorned with flowers.

Sebastian surrounded him. "You said you must get into that secret party of Viscount Druitt. You cannot just turn up on his front porch and demand access to his house. He knows very well who we are working for. Therefore we have to change your appearance a bit."

"By dressing me up like a girl?" Ciel huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Why can't I dress up as another boy and we take Annie to be the bait?"

Sebastian remained silent as he stared at his young Master until he finally said, "I won't let it happen that we pull her into the depth of our secrets once again."

"I don't want this as well and yet, if I'd order you to bring her with us, you wouldn't refuse to me, right?" Ciel stepped closer and watched him intently.

"No, I would obey to your orders like always, young Master, even though it would break—"

"Break what?" the young boy asked curiously. The demon butler lifted his gaze again and looked upon the face of his Master.

"Noth—"

"Sebastian, I told you to never lie to me," Ciel hissed warningly and dug the tip of his finger into his butler's chest. Suddenly he frowned as he stared up into the crimson eyes of Sebastian while he slowly placed the palm of his hand against the other's chest.

"You—you have a heart? Since when do  _you_  have a heart?" Ciel asked confused and felt the steady pumping under the palm of his hand.

The butler sighed and ran one of his gloved hands through his raven hair. "Since autumn last year," he finally stated and stepped away from the boy to pick up the dress from the bed. Ciel watched every move of his butler, aware what he was referring to.

"You really love her—"he stated calmly. "I mean—first I thought it was funny, to imagine you might like her more than any other human you've met. And I didn't take it serious at all, because you are still just a demon. Even if I don't care much about love, I am not blind, Sebastian. You did not just grow attached to her—no, an actual heart grew inside your chest. A heart filled with love. A heart—just for her."

"We should really hurry up now. The party will start at seven tonight and we have to get you into that dress," Sebastian ignored everything Ciel had said even though he knew it was the truth.

He stepped towards the boy and began to dress him up for the party as the phone in the study rang loudly. Sebastian stopped his work and exchanged a curious look with Ciel, because the phone rang seldom the past years. The young boy signaled his butler to go and pick it up.

Sebastian strode out of the bedroom and into the opposite room. He picked the phone up and placed it against his right ear.

"Hello?

He frowned as only silence came from the other side until he was aware of a soft breathing and finally the voice spoke,

"Hello—Sebastian."

"Annie?" he breathed and turned to cast a glance towards the door as if checking no one would listen. He could hear the sound of rustling paper before she replied,

"Yes, it's me. I—I hope I don't disturb your work?" she asked carefully.

"No—well, maybe a little bit," he admitted.

Silence was once again the only reply. "Annie? Are you—are you still there?"

She cleared her throat again. "Sebastian—I may have emotionally overreacted now and then. I wasn't always fair—"

A confused smile curled his lips. "Are you reading this?"

"That's nonsense!" she exclaimed. "Uhm—you were always there for me and this—shone a light on certain qualities you possess. And you were right; I was judging you for—for what you are."

He chuckled quietly. "Hey, you  _are_ reading it!"

"Oh, stop interrupting me, you fool," she mumbled with the hint of frustrated amusement in her voice which made his heart flutter again.

"Many apologies—go on," he said amused.

"So—what I wanted to say is—Sebastian, I might have been wrong and I want you to know that."

"I should have told you the truth right away, but I suggest we discuss these things in private sometime," he said reassuringly.

"Yes, you're right—"

A long pause followed in which neither of them knew what to say. Nervously he played with the cord of the phone and cleared his throat. "Annie, I am quite busy tonight. Master and I are out on a secret party to investigate the Ripper case. I do believe we might solve it sometime tonight," he explained and heard her breath catch.

"You mean you are on the heels of that filthy rat that killed Amanda and all those other women?"

"I think so, yes," he paused before he added with a chuckle, "And young Master Ciel has to dress up as a girl to be the bait."

The giggle on the other end of the line was all he had hoped to hear and the smile on his lips grew wider. How much he would give to be with her in this very moment, to hold her in his arms, to see her devilishly emerald eyes sparkle brightly in the light of the sun and see her wonderful lips parting for the most wonderful melody he had ever heard in his entire existence—Annie Conroy's laughter.

"Annie, if this case is solved until tomorrow—would you like to come here and have dinner with me? So we can talk?"

She seemed to think about it for a second, the longest second Sebastian had ever experienced. Finally she replied,

"Yes, that would be great."

He smiled and nodded slowly. "That relieves me a lot. Now—I am sorry, but I have to go. I will pick you up from home tomorrow at six, alright?"

"Oh, you want to pick me up?"

"Not?"

She giggled again. "It's fine. I'll await you at sharp six," she imitated his tone from her first day back in autumn where he had told her when her shift begins in the morning. He chuckled and got the reference immediately.

"I will be there. Good night, Annie."

"And good luck to you," she replied and cut the phone connection. Sebastian stood silent for a couple of moments, before he placed the phone down again. A warm smile curled his lips while he rubbed his chest, trying to calm his fast beating heart.

Ciel stepped into the study, half dressed up as a girl already. "Who was that?" he asked and saw that Sebastian hadn't even recognized his presence as the butler winced and turned around. The corner of his mouth twitched as he added, "No need to answer. What did she want?"

"Apologizing, I think. I invited her for dinner tomorrow," Sebastian replied and stepped towards him to help him with the rest of his costume.

* * *

Once she had placed the phone down, Annie lowered down on the sofa in the living room. Her heart was still bumping heavily in her chest and she smiled from one ear to the other.

The jingle of Bella's small bells waved through the room as she jumped onto her lap and purred contently while pressing her head against the palm of the girl's hand.

"I guess I have to thank you, Bella. Without  _you_  I might have never known that Sebastian is here. And I'm certain he will solve the case quickly—so we will dine together tomorrow and talk about certain things," Annie mumbled and smiled at her cat.

A soft knock came from the door of the room and Annie winced. "Who is there?"

"It's me," her mother's voice spoke up and added, "You have a guest. Miss Elizabeth is here."

"She can come in," Annie called and sat up with Bella still on her lap while the door flew open and the young girl approached her with a concerned look.

"Oh, Annie! I heard about your friend! That's horrible! How do you feel?" she lowered down next to her.

"Could be better. Though I am certain her death will be avenged very soon, maybe even tonight," Annie replied with a determined smile on her lips as she thought about the strength of Sebastian, the ability to take down a hundred of men single-handedly. She knew it would be the easiest for him to bring Jack the Ripper down.

"What makes you so certain?" Lizzy asked curiously and reached for Bella to stroke her soft, black fur.

"Sebastian and Ciel are investigating. Tonight they might find the killer."

"You are in contact with them again? Since when?" the girl seemed to be highly surprised and yet relieved to hear that. Annie chuckled and leaned back against the sofa.

"A couple of days. And I just talked to Sebastian on the phone a few moments ago. He said that they would be at a party tonight where Jack the Ripper might be as well, at least he hopes so. I know that Sebastian will find him."

"You like him!" Lizzy suddenly exclaimed and squealed as she saw Annie's confused look and the slight blush.

"Who?"

"Sebastian!"

Annie remained silent and thoughtfully stroked her cat's fur. Lizzy giggled and suddenly wrapped her arms around the other girl. "I  _knew_  it! That's also the reason why you quit your job in the mansion, right?"

"I quit because my parents were safe again and I missed my home. It had nothing to do with him," she replied and tried to sound as believable as possible.

"Come on, admit it already!"

"Admit what?" Annie avoided her friend's eyecontact and shifted to cast a glance out of the window. It was already getting dark outside, the clock at the wall showed eight o'clock.

' _Are they already on the party? He didn't say when they would leave. Oh, please, Sebastian—please take care of you'_

"Annie?" the other girl's voice pulled her out of her thoughts again.

"Hmm?"

"So? Your answer?"

"To what question?" Annie replied confused and earned another giggle from her friend.

"If you love him," Lizzy repeated and saw a twinkle in Annie's eyes which vanished quickly.

"I don't know, Lizzy. It is complicated," she finally admitted. She  _had_ strong feelings for this man—this demon. And yet, it still unsettled her that he was what he was. She sighed heavily and got up to pour a glass of apple-juice into two glasses.

Once she handed Lizzy one glass she raised hers and said,

"Let's drink to the end of Jack the Ripper."

Lizzy shook her head in disbelief but clinked her glass with Annie's and drowned the juice.

Annie, on the other hand, thought about the butler. A smile curled her lips as she felt the sweet tickling growing in her stomach whenever his handsome face invaded her mind.

' _How do you really look like, Sebastian Michaelis? Will I be able to—have feelings for you once I know your true appearance?'_  she mumbled internally to herself and led her gaze back out of the window.

A determined smile curled her lips once more.

' _If you want it or not. I will find out!'_


	18. Confession

As the morning sun rose at the horizon and the life in the streets of London slowly awoke, Ciel had already finished his breakfast.

"What's on my schedule today, Sebastian?" he asked and yawned, still quite exhausted from the events of the previous night at the party. Once again he had been in a quite dangerous situation, but Sebastian was there like always and rescued him. And now that the case of Jack the Ripper was solved he could relax a bit.

"Nothing in particular. You may do as you wish," the butler said and turned as the doorbell rang. "That might be the post-man," he said and left the dinner hall. Ciel walked along the hallway and entered the study as he heard the footsteps of his butler returning as well with a pile of letters, most of them some invitations for balls and feasts, as well as the daily newspaper. Sebastian placed everything in front of the boy and began pouring some tea for him as Ciel suddenly rose from his chair,

" _What?_  What's the meaning of this?"

The butler watched him quite surprised. "What happened, young Master?"

Ciel stared at the newspaper and read, "Jack the Ripper returns! Victim: Annie Shepherman! Another prostitute sacrificed."

For one second Sebastian had felt his heart stop as he heard the name of that woman. He knew his breath had caught and saw Ciel watching him.

"Pull yourself together, Sebastian! It is not our Annie, alright? So—tell me: how is this possible? The Viscount didn't go anywhere last night!"

"Well then, it seems he was not involved and Jack the Ripper is still somewhere out there."

Ciel slumped back in his chair and sighed heavily. "That means I have to come up with something again—Alright, we have to narrow it down. Sebastian, organize the list."

"As you wish—"he bowed and left the study.

* * *

Annie had just got up to have breakfast and lowered down at the kitchen table where her father was hiding behind the newspaper just like every morning. He looked up with a smile as she had entered the room and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning, angel," he said and hid behind the news again. She chuckled and placed a kiss on her mother's cheek and finally lowered down across her father. While thoughtfully munching on a scone with strawberry-marmalade her father suddenly huffed,

"It's unbelievable. One might think our police system should be able to catch a single murderer, right?"

"What?" Mary-Ann asked and surrounded her husband to catch a glimpse of the article. Her face fell and she shook her head.

"What happened, mom?" Annie asked curiously. Her mother cast a glance at her.

"Jack the Ripper is still out there. He killed another prostitute last night."

She dropped her scone and got up to take a look into the newspaper. "But that is impossible—"she mumbled and stepped away from the kitchen table.

"You're pale, Annie. What's wrong?"Mary-Ann stepped towards her daughter and wrapped an arm around her. Annie's mind circled around the phone call the previous evening.

' _Sebastian seemed to be so certain they would catch the Ripper. Something might have gone wrong. What if—if Jack the Ripper killed Ciel and Sebastian. Can a demon get killed at all?'_

She looked at her mother with a small smile. "I have to make a phone call. Excuse me," she hurried out of the kitchen and entered the living room. She closed the door, took the phone and lowered onto the sofa. With trembling fingers she dialed the number of Ciel's summer residence.

The phone rang—and rang—and rang. "Oh, come on, pick it up!" she whispered but after more than twenty times ringing she slammed it down again.

What should she do? What if Sebastian and Ciel were in danger? Her heart was pumping heavily in her chest.  _'No, I can't just sit here and wait if Sebastian turns up tonight or not!'_ she thought and got up. She hurried upstairs and changed her clothes. After a quick wash and combing her hair she hurried back down.

"Mom? Dad? I will be away for a while!" she called and saw Mary-Ann peeking into the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to go and see Sebastian—and Ciel," she said and earned a knowing look from Mary-Ann.

"Will you be back for lunch?"

"I hope so. I will call you if not, alright?" she breathed a kiss towards her mother and left the house.

The summer sun shone brightly down on her while she moved along the street, trying to get to the house as fast as possible. All different kind of things rushed through her mind and the most important question popping up was: What should she do or say if Sebastian opens the door?

She nearly bumped into a boy and a girl holding hands. She blushed, "I'm sorry! So sorry!" she mumbled and began to run the last few feet to the residence. Finally she arrived at the gate.

She panted heavily and saw the carriage was in the front which could only mean someone should be home. But why did nobody pick up the phone? She straightened herself, took a deep breath and entered the small courtyard and knocked against the wooden door.

' _Open the door. Please, open the door—'_

Long minutes passed by and she was just about to turn and leave as a quiet creak came from the door as it opened.

"An—"Sebastian began as she knocked his breath out of his lungs by crashing into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"You stupid demon! Why don't you answer the phone?" she cried out still pressing against him. He placed his hands on her waist, surprised about her sudden outburst.

Once she stepped away from him she blushed heavily. Sebastian smiled at her as he signaled her to come in. "Why are you here, Annie? I thought I wouldn't see you until tonight."

"I have read the newspaper and saw that Jack the Ripper is still out there and—and I called you on the phone but no one answered it and I—I thought, maybe, something happened to you on that party last night," she explained and stepped into the entry hall. He took her jacket and placed it on the hall stand.

"It was indeed a tricky night, but I wouldn't be the one I am if I couldn't handle with situations like these," he replied with a smile at her. He couldn't even begin describing the feelings washing over him, flooding his body with emotions he never had before. Now she was there—right in front of him and that just because he did not answer the phone. Because she was concerned about him. The heart in his chest leaped for a second.

"You must think I'm hysterical or something. I am sorry, I acted foolish again," she sighed and turned to look at him.

"No, actually I am surprised that you care so much about me after all," he replied and stepped closer but stopped as he heard the door of Ciel's study open and close.

"Sebastian, who's there at the door?" the boy called quite impatiently. Annie sensed that she came to a quite unfitting time and was about to grab her jacket, but Sebastian stopped her by gently wrapping his fingers around her wrist and lowering her arm again.

"Don't leave—"he whispered almost pleadingly and took her hand, pulling her gently with him up the flight of stairs just to let go of her once they reached the top of it where they nearly bumped into Ciel.

"Annie? Such a surprise to see you. I thought he invited you for dinner and not for lunch," the boy said amused but took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I am sorry if I interrupt you by any of your business. I can leave if you—"she began but Ciel raised his hand to silence her.

"No, it is fine. Actually we are a bit stuck on the Ripper case at the moment. I do believe you have read the papers this morning. That's the reason why you are here, right?" Ciel said with the hint of a smile as he saw her gaze drifting to Sebastian or a second.

"Yes, I remember that you were on a party last night to investigate and it sounded as if you are certain to catch him there. Then I read the papers and tried to call you on the phone but no one answered and I—I was quite concerned that something happened to you," she replied.

"Oh, I am sorry, but that was my fault," Ciel said and gestured her to follow him into the lounge. "I told Sebastian not to answer the phone because we were quite deep in some research. Even though I had the feeling it has been you, because you've been the first person in a long time using this number."

She blushed and smiled a bit as he signaled her to lower in the armchair close to the window.

"Sebastian, bring us some tea," Ciel said and the butler bowed and left the lounge for a while. She looked after him until the door was closed before her gaze drifted to the boy in the opposite armchair again.

"May I ask what happened last night?" she finally spoke up again and watched him curiously.

He shifted a bit uncomfortably before he answered, "We had to believe that the Viscount of Druitt, Aleister Chamber, is Jack the Ripper. Well, I—I had to be the bait to get closer to him," he stopped as he saw her amused smile and he sighed. "Sebastian told you I would dress up as a girl, right?"

"He did, indeed," she said amused but signaled him to go on. He folded his hands under his chin as he continued,

"Well, he is a criminal but not the one we were looking for. He drugged me and dragged me away from the party to sell me at an auction in the cellar of his manor. Sebastian rescued me, like always, and we fled before the police showed up. He is in custody, but still he is not Jack the Ripper. Therefore we are stuck and I have to come up with another idea how to get hands on that man."

Annie had listened intently and looked up as the door opened and Sebastian entered with the cart. He poured tea for his master and the girl and lowered down on the sofa close by. Annie sipped from the tea before she said,

"And now you have to make another list of suspects?"

"I already made one, but there are still too many names on it," Sebastian replied. "The problem is there are four and a half million people in London alone. During this seasonal party period, there'd be even more."

She nodded thoughtfully and winced as the door suddenly flung open. "Ciel! You're still working?" a red-haired woman called cheerfully and entered the lounge together with her quite uncertain butler. Annie had never seen these two and watched them surprised.

"Oh, who is that lovely lady?" the red-haired woman squealed and approached Annie with open arms and embraced her as if they'd be good friends. Annie stiffened a bit but smiled at her as she said,

"My name is Annie Conroy. I'm a friend of Ciel and Sebastian."

"She worked as a maid in my household in autumn last year and we grew to become good friends. Annie, this is my aunt, Angelina Dalles—"

"Please, call me Madame Red," she intervened and smiled brightly at Annie before she turned to Ciel again. "So, I see you are still working on the case. You know, you should not work too hard. How about a round of chess?"

Ciel sighed. "I really have no time for chess," he protested but Madame Red would not give up so easily.

"Come! Take a break! Take a break! Look, my butler already prepared tea for us! Grell, serve the tea for Ciel and me!"

Annie got up and offered Madam Red her armchair which she took gratefully. The blonde girl strolled over to Sebastian who eyed the other butler carefully. Grell seemed to be very nervous and even Annie noticed his strange behavior.

"I've prepared herb tea made from wild roses," he said and poured the tea into the cup, carefully as if he was afraid to spill some of it.

"He is not an expert," Annie whispered behind her hand and earned a thoughtful nod from Sebastian.

"Sebastian, Annie, you may take your leave now if you want," Ciel said and smiled at the girl and his butler. They nodded and left Ciel and his aunt behind. Once they closed the door they heard Madam Red yelling,

"This tastes bad! Why is herbal tea salty? And you call yourself a butler?"

Annie giggled and shook her head. "Not every butler seems to be a—well, you know," she gestured at Sebastian and earned a chuckle from him.

"Not every butler, but still more than you might think," he winked and moved on down the flight of stairs. She stared after him, quite confused. He cast a glance back over his shoulder. "Won't you come?"

"Oh—yes, of course," she stammered and followed him down the stairs and into the kitchen. She lowered down at the table and thanked him as he placed a glass of milk and a plate of chocolate-cookies in front of her.

He lowered down on the opposite of the table and watched her curiously while she took a bite from a cookie. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You—uhm—you wanted to explain yourself to me," she stated and watched him expectantly.

He shifted and leaned back in his chair. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Who are you?"

"Sebastian Michaelis, a demon and a butler."

"Is Sebastian your real name?"

"It is the name my master has given me on the day our contract began. Actually it was the name of his dog—he liked the idea giving me the name of a dog, well knowing that I hate dogs."

She nodded thoughtfully. "So you don't have a real name?"

"I have, but it is poison to your ears. I don't want to say my name."

"Alright, I can live with that, but will you tell me why you became Ciel's butler?"

"Well, it began three years ago. The mansion burned to the ground and his parents died in the fire. He was kidnapped and about to be sacrificed in an occult ritual."

She stared at him. "So someone put the mansion on fire? It was murder?"

He nodded and continued, "He summoned me and formed a contract. You have seen my sign," he raised his gloved hand, "And his sign is on his right eye."

"So that's why he's wearing his eye-patch!"

"Indeed. Once forming the contract, he ordered me to slay his abductors which I did, because that was my job. You asked me why I became his butler? Well, I thought that the role of a butler is the most suitable to serve an Earl," he smiled at her. "I will be his butler until his mission of revenge is completed."

"And what will happen then?" she asked anxiously though she already knew the answer. And yet she had to hear it from him.

Sebastian sighed, well aware that it brought pain to his heart to tell her this. "I will get his soul."

"You will kill him?"

"That—that won't be killing, Annie. It is the payment for the contract and he knows it."

"But it is still murder!" she exclaimed and rose from her seat. She surrounded the table and grabbed him by his jacket, shaking him. "It's wrong! Demon or not, you can't—you can't just—"

"Annie, calm down," he gently took her by her wrists and lowered her hands. "That is the truth and you wanted to know the truth."

"What happened after you killed his kidnappers?" she whispered and lowered down on the chair next to him. Her gaze drifted to her wrists which he still held gently in his hands. He pulled his hands away and drove through his hair as he added,

"I took him to the Royal London Hospital. His aunt, Madame Red, works there as a doctor. She cared for him until he was strong enough to return to his mansion. I reconstructed it while he drowned in his sorrow and anger. The loss of his parents weighs heavily in his chest."

"That's understandable, Sebastian. I cannot even imagine losing my parents due such cruel acts."

"Well, and from that day on we started to live in his mansion. I taught him the fundamentals of being an Earl, and I learned from him what it means to be a butler in his household," a small smile curled his lips. "He said I am his sword and shield and that I would bring him victory. And I comply because I am certain his soul will be delicious."

She stared at him again. "Don't say such thing!"

"But you wanted to hear the truth and that is the truth. This is what I am doing as a demon. That was my only goal and then—then I opened the door nearly one year ago and—"

"And?"

"And I saw  _you_ ," he stated and looked up. Their gazes met for a moment, his heart made another leap and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms.

"And now you want  _my_  soul instead of Ciel's?" she asked confused and earned a chuckle from him.

"Oh, no! How could you say such a thing? Annie, don't you understand? Since I met you I am acting foolish. I am acting—I am acting almost like a Human. Driven by a heart!"

"Demons have no hearts. That is what I have heard."

"And that's correct! But since I know you—"he carefully took her hand and placed it on his chest. Annie was silent, concentrating on the soft pumping beneath the palm of her hand. Her gaze drifted back into his eyes.

"A heart?" she breathed.

"This is  _you_ , Annie. A heart filled with everything I feel for you. Something I never heard a demon had done before. Can't you understand that it scares me? Do you understand why it scared me when you kissed me?"

"So—you pushed me away because—because you like me?"

"I don't know if 'like you' is the correct description, but yes—I pushed you away because everything in me wanted to hold you closer. I know that sounds odd, but I pushed you away to prevent a mess. A mess for me, but especially for you. I knew you would never be able to return these feelings to me once you're aware of my true identity."

"Do you really think I can switch my feelings off so easily?"

"You were disgusted—or maybe still are."

"Disgusted is a harsh word. I am not disgusted, I am just confused. I don't know who you really are. I mean—this butler appearance, this is not  _you._ "

"But it is what you created feelings for—"

"And that is why I am here. To find out if that is true."

He watched her confused. "I think I don't understand what you mean."

She got up and strolled towards the kitchen counter before she turned to look at him again. "Look—I know I have strong feelings for you. And yet— _this_ is not  _you!_ I want to know if I just fell for your appearance or—or if I really fell for  _you._  The demon."

He blinked at her. "Would that change anything?"

"Yes! It would change a lot, Sebastian. It would—it would prove if my feelings for you are genuine. I want to know if I can—if I can still love you with the knowledge of your true nature."

"Love me?" he breathed and saw her blush a bit. He got up and approached her slowly. "You mean—you mean you—"

She smiled shyly at him and nodded. "I think so, yes."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before she took his hands in hers. "Show me your true form, Sebastian. Just once—"

"It is too hideous—"

One hand reached for his cheek, gently stroked his soft skin. Unwittingly he leaned into the palm of her hand and closed his eyes.

"If you love me, Sebastian—show me who you really are."

Minutes passed by, minutes in which they stood silent in front of each other, her hand still stroking his cheek while his other hand entwined their fingers with each other.

"Annie—,"he breathed as he slowly leaned his forehead against hers, relieved that she didn't pull away. A single tear rolled down her cheek until he finally nodded and looked into her eyes.

"I will—"he said and saw the hint of a relieved smile on her lips before she wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly.


	19. No matter what

Annie stepped away from him and looked up into his warm eyes. A curious smile curled his lips as he saw her questioning look. Her fingertips played gently with his gloved ones and finally asked,

"When will you show me?"

He chuckled and carefully reached out and tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "Quite impatient, are we?" he whispered and sent her a warm smile again.

She shrugged. "Just curious. I mean, of course you won't show me right here, right now. I am just so very excited that I try to brace myself."

"You can still change your mind, Annie," he stepped towards her again but she turned to look at him again.

"No! I need to do this. We both need it! You might not see the greater meaning behind all this, but once you show yourself to me—you will understand."

"At least, you hope so, right?" he added and tried to hide the bitterness in his voice.

"Sebastian—"she stepped towards him and took his hand. Suddenly the door flung open and someone came crashing into the room with a tray on which a teapot and two cups were placed.

"Oh—oh, I am sorry. I didn't mean to—I'm sorry,"Grell, the butler of Madame Red, stammered and blushed heavily. Annie had pulled her hand away from Sebastian and smiled at the other butler.

"You did nothing wrong, Mister Grell," she said and took the tray out of his hands to place it on the kitchen counter. Grell stood uncertainly in the middle of the kitchen, trying not to blush whenever Sebastian cast a look at him.

"Sebastian, will we still have dinner tonight?" Annie finally asked and ignored the other butler, missing the change in his eyes for a second. Sebastian signaled Grell to leave the kitchen again. He stumbled out and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Of course, I wish nothing more than spending time with you," Sebastian replied and smiled his warm smile again. "And I do believe there is still something we have to—do."

"And what would that be?"she asked curiously and tilted her head a bit.

' _Oh you beautiful creature,'_  he thought as he felt that new and yet already quite familiar feeling flooding his body. The urge to go on and kiss her grew immensely, but he pulled himself together and cleared his throat. "I still have to ask Ciel for permission, but if he gives his permission then I would like to hold dinner in another place."

"A restaurant?" she chuckled but fell silent as she saw him shaking his head slightly. "Where do you want to go with me?" she asked curiously.

"I'd like to have dinner in the mansion. And afterwards I'd like to—show myself to you."

" _Today?_ " she squeaked and felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. She began fumbling with the chain of her pocket-watch. "I didn't think it would happen so soon," she mumbled and cast another glance at him.

"The sooner the better I thought, but if you still need more time to brace yourself—I won't push you."

"No—no it's fine," she smiled and felt just the same urge to kiss him, but pulled herself together. "So, I will go home now and you will pick me up just like you planned?"

He chuckled and stepped towards her. Carefully he lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. "I will be there, my Lady."

Annie giggled and blushed a bit. "See you later, Sebastian."

* * *

"You know, Ciel—I am wondering why you spend so much time with that blonde girl. What was her name again?" Madame Red said and leaned back in the armchair while waiting patiently for Ciel to make the next move with his pawn.

"Actually it is not me who's spending time with her. I just enjoy her presence, she is calm and friendly. I accept her presence here or in the manor whenever she decided to come and visit us," the boy replied calmly and moved one of his chess pieces. His gaze drifted to his aunt with the hint of a smile.

"I just wonder why a former maid is willing to spend her free time with you—"

"She is not spending time with me that much, like I already said. Can we stop this ridiculous talking and just continue with the game?" he gestured at the chess board and his voice was stricken with annoyance.

"Why is she here then?" the red-haired woman leaned forwards and moved a pawn. "Did she take a shine on your butler?" she giggled and watched her nephew amused. She stopped laughing as she saw his blank expression. "Oh, she did, huh?"

"I think that is none of your business at all," Ciel grumbled and looked up as the door opened again and his butler entered again. "Where is Annie?" he asked him and Sebastian cast a quick glance at Madame Red before he replied,

"Heading home again. Young Master, I have an important matter to discuss with you. In private, if possible."

Thankful about that sudden interruption, Ciel got up. "Excuse me, but it really seems to be important," he signaled Madame Red to leave them alone. She huffed and took her coat. "Fine, but I tell you, Ciel. You should stop investigating too much in that case. You need to take care of yourself."

"Yes—"he mumbled and watched her leave the lounge before he sighed heavily and turned to look at his butler who stood at the window and gazed outside onto the street. Madame Red and Grell just left through the gate and vanished in the crowd.

"So, Sebastian—what's so important?" Ciel lowered down in his armchair again. The butler turned around and fumbled with the chain of his pocket-watch.

"I'd like to ask for permission to leave this house for one night. I will return tomorrow morning to wake you up, of course."

"And where do you plan to go?"

"I'd like to take Annie back to the mansion to have dinner with her," Sebastian said and they held gaze for a moment. Ciel shifted a bit,

"Why can't you have dinner here?"

Sebastian sighed and lowered onto the other armchair. "I promised her to show myself to her—"

"And you think that's a good idea?"

"It—Young Master, it is necessary."

"I just mean, though I have no idea what you really look like, but one look into your eyes and I can see fear. You fear that she will push you away again."

"She won't—"

"Alright, I still have no idea what we should do about the Ripper case anyway. I guess it's fine if you take one night off to do what you have to do."

"That means a lot to me, young Master. If you excuse me now, I'd like to take my leave to prepare the dinner. I'll send the servants to you."

"Want to have some privacy, huh?" Ciel grinned cheekily but nodded and signaled him to leave.

* * *

Annie rummaged nervously in her mother's cupboard, looking for a nice necklace or something that would fit to her red silky dress she had bought on her way home.

"You look beautiful, my dear," Mary-Ann stepped into her bedroom and smiled brightly at her daughter. "Though maybe you should pull your hair back a bit to give more credit to that dress?"

"No! No, mom. Sebastian likes my hair like this—"she said and blushed heavily.

Her mother chuckled and placed one arm around her shoulder. "You really love that man, right?"

Even thinking about him made Annie's tummy tickle. She smiled uncertainly before she finally nodded. "I guess so—yes."

"I like him. He is good to you and I have seen that he would do everything for you and protect you whenever possible. I don't know what problems you had in the past months, but I am happy to see you spending time with him again. But always remember: be careful when you—"she gestured in an attempt to signal what she meant and Annie blushed even more.

"Mom!" she giggled and stepped away from her. "We will just have dinner and—and spent some time at the mansion. There's no need to think about  _this."_

She checked her pocket-watch just in time as a sudden knock came from downstairs. "That's him," she smiled and Mary-Ann went downstairs to open the door.

"Good evening, Miss Conroy. I'm here to pick Ann—"he fell silent as his gaze drifted past the woman and watched Annie in her dress moving gracefully down the flight of stairs.

"Good evening, Sebastian," Mary-Ann chuckled and helped Annie into her coat. She placed a soft kiss on her daughter's cheek and whispered, "Have fun."

"Thanks, mother," she replied and stepped towards him with the brightest smile. "Hey," she said and linked her arm with his.

"Ready?" he asked once he found his voice again and led her to the carriage. Finny sat on the driver's seat and waved merrily at her. She sent him a smile and waved back before she stepped into the back of the carriage. Once Sebastian gave the signal, the carriage rumbled down the road and out of the city.

"I'm a bit nervous," she admitted quietly and looked at the butler.

"I am just as nervous as you are, Annie," he replied and looked out of the window, trying to ignore the upcoming fear in his heart. The fear of getting rejected by the only human he ever loved. Slowly he began to understand the concept of love and that it is both good and evil. Devil and Angel. He shook his head to get rid of these thoughts. First they would have a wonderful dinner. That was all he should care about at the moment.

"Your dress looks breathtaking—I mean,  _you_  look breathtaking,"he said and took her hand. She played with his fingers before she replied,

"Thank you—"

He shifted to sit down next to her. "You can still stop what's going to happen later. You don't have to—"

"I  _have_  to and you know that very well. Don't try making me change my mind, because that won't happen."

He chuckled and nodded in defeat. "Fine, then let's hope this evening will end well."

* * *

It was the first time since he was butler in the manor that Sebastian sat at the long table in the dining room, having an actual dinner with the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on in all the centuries he'd been through in his life.

His heart fluttered lightly whenever she looked up from her plate, smiling shyly at him while eating the salad he had prepared as the first course.

"That's so tasty. I never thought strawberries fit so perfectly to salad and nuts. Oh, and the dressing. Really, this tastes heavenly," she fell silent and watched him curiously. "I know you don't see Heaven as something good, but let me tell you—I love your salad! That's why I said heavenly. Not that I believe—"

He couldn't help but chuckle about her insecurity. "It is fine, Annie. I know how you meant it. Don't worry."

"Oh—alright, well—"she took a sip of wine and looked up as he got up to serve the main course.

"I hope that's to your liking," he said and placed a plate in front of her, filled with a steak, green peas with carrots and baked potatoes.

"Well, it definitely smells and looks delicious," she smiled brightly at him and waited until he lowered down opposite of her again. The following hour seemed to fly by like a second and finally they finished their dinner.

"You have really outdone yourself, Sebastian. Thank you so much for that wonderful dinner," she said while they left the dining room and headed downstairs. Her heart began banging in her chest because she knew that it would only be a matter of moments until she would see his true form. Until she would see the demon behind the butler appearance. Maybe even the demon she loved.

"Alright, Annie—If you are really certain about it then I'd like to ask you to follow me outside," he offered his gloved hand to her. The girl took a deep breath and placed her hand into the palm of his. With a relieved smile she closed his fingers around her hand and led her outside into the courtyard. "Actually I planned to lead you into the forest, but now that no one else but you and me are here I'd like to make it happen here—in front of the fountain," he gestured to the fountain a few steps away where the water was flowing quietly and watched her carefully.

"That's fine—"she replied and followed him until they stopped in front of the fountain. He cleared his throat, "Whatever happens next, Annie, I just want you to know that I would never harm you."

"You don't have to tell me. I know you won't,"she said reassuringly.

"Would you please close your eyes now?"

"Why?"

"I just—I don't want that you witness the transformation. Please, trust me."

She sighed. "Alright," her eyes closed and she shifted from one foot on the other. She tried to calm herself down and winced as something soft touched her skin. It felt like raining cotton and yet it sounded like feathers. Just now, in that very moment, she realized what she would see once she opens her eyes. This would would be the real Sebastian, the demon whose name wasn't even Sebastian.  _'Oh Annie, what have you done? Was that really the right choice?'_ she asked herself and shivered slightly.

"You can open your eyes now," his voice spoke up and she sensed the deeper, darker tone of it. She still kept her eyes closed for several seconds until finally she opened them carefully. Her jaw dropped open as she stared at him.

Sebastian, on the other hand, saw her expression and feared immediately that she was shocked or even disgusted. He could feel that new muscle in his chest hurt at that thought. "Are you—alright?" he asked and watched her concerned.

"I—"she tried to find the right words but was simply too overwhelmed by the sight of him. Her gaze drifted from his pink glowing eyes with its cat-like shaped pupils, down to his mouth with his pointy teeth—or fangs. His hair was the same like she knew it though it was a bit wilder. His chest was partly covered in black fur that was also covering the rest of his lower body where she saw a pair of high heeled boots which confused her a lot. His hands were like claws and yet, what amazed her the most was the pair of huge, black-feathered wings growing out of his shoulders.

Carefully she stepped closer. "Can—can I touch you?" she asked almost in a whispering tone and was about to reach out for his cheek. "Or will it hurt me?"

"Never will I hurt you," he replied and watched her stepping even closer. Slowly she reached out and touched his cheek first with her fingertips until she placed the palm onto his skin. He blinked in confusion about the fact that she seemed to have no fear. She wasn't even disgusted, she didn't go mad. She was fascinated and that struck him massively.

"You have wings," she said with an amazed chuckle and reached out for them. "So soft—"she breathed and smiled at him.

"Annie—can I—can I—"he was unable to form a complete sentence. He raised his clawed hand and carefully touched her long, golden-colored hair. Gently he combed through it, enjoyed the silky texture of it and smiled at her. She closed her eyes and slowly leaned against him, her head rested on his furry shoulder while her eyes closed again. She sighed contently and wrapped her arms around him. He stopped combing her hair and looked down at her. She was his beauty—and he was the beast. And yet she held him close, showed no fear.

"Sebastian?" she whispered and looked up into his glowing eyes while the moon already stood high in the sky.

"Yes, Annie?"

"You are—you are such a wonderful creature," she stepped away from him and looked him over again. Her hands still rested on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. "I don't know how I could have ever doubted the genuineness of my feelings for you. No matter what you are—I know now that I fell in love with  _you._  With your personality above all. And no matter if you are the sweetest butler I ever knew or the most wonderful demon I might ever be able to see—I will love you."

Completely overwhelmed by her warm and honest words he simply wrapped his arms and wings protectively around her. A smile curled his lips while he leaned in closer.

"And I—I love you," he breathed in the second before he captured her lips in a tender, meaningful kiss.


	20. Warmth

It was still deep in the night and silence lay upon the manor. The only source of light came from the warm fire flickering in the hearth while the shadows of the two figures danced at the walls. Annie leaned against Sebastian's chest while lying on a bear-pelt in front of the fireplace. His back was leaning against the armchair while one arm was holding her tightly and his other hand played with her hair.

Suddenly she chuckled. "I just now realized what you meant whenever you said that you're one hell of a butler."

He smiled and pressed his lips on top of her head. Never before did he feel such warmth inside of him and he knew this was not because of the fire. "I am really happy that you accept me for what I am."

She shifted a bit and looked up at him. A smile curled her lips as she reached behind and pulled him down into a tender kiss. "Accept, respect and love," she whispered against his lips.

"That's more than I could wish for," he mumbled and captured her lips in yet another kiss. Slowly he shifted, backed her a bit until she lay on her back beneath him. Her hand caressed his neck while he intensified the kiss. Finally they broke apart to catch breath again and Sebastian looked down into her emerald eyes that showed so much affection for him that he still couldn't believe that this beautiful Human girl was here with him, so close and accepting him. "Annie, you appear like an ordinary girl and yet it seems to me that you have such great power inside you. A power so great that it made a demon fall in love."

"That power is called a heart and now you have one as well," she replied and gently stroked along his cheek with the sweetest smile on her face. But suddenly her smile faded.

"What's wrong?" he asked while leaning on his elbow and playing with her hair again.

"Are you even allowed to love someone? I mean—because of your contract with Ciel. Do we have to hide and have a secret relationship or—"she fell silent and he could see concern and sadness in her eyes.

"Annie, look at me," he whispered and smiled at her once she looked up at him. "I wouldn't be here tonight if Ciel would have a problem with this. He had to give his permission, like I said before."

"So he has no problem that you and I—"

"I know you still have mixed feelings about the contract between him and me, but this has nothing to do with us. I won't vanish once the contract is fulfilled."

"Actually I wish it will never be fulfilled. I don't want Ciel to die—"

He sighed heavily and rolled onto his back and pulled her closer. Her head rested on his chest and she closed her eyes to listen to the sound of his heartbeat. Silence fell upon them, both simply enjoying the warmth of each other.

"Sebastian?"

"Mmmh?"

"Do you think you will catch Jack the Ripper?"

"Now that was quite a change in topic," he chuckled. "And yes, I am confident that we will."

"I thought about the cases as well. I mean, there has to be a connection between the victims. I know for a fact that Amanda was  _not_ a prostitute and yet her womb was removed as well, just like all the other women. So—that man is not concentrating on prostitutes at all I think. He is concentrating on something else. Did anyone every checked the background of those victims? Was Amanda at the same place like one of the others? Did they know each other?"

"Fact is that no ordinary man can cut out inner organs so precisely. It must be someone who's skilled in things like that. Therefore I am checking doctors the most," he replied while his fingertips trailed along her arm.

"Did you check Madame Red?" she suddenly said and caused him to frown.

"No, why should I?"

"You said she's a doctor. She works at the biggest hospital of the city. Maybe she knows something."

"What do you think—why the womb? Why nothing else but the womb?" he asked her quite interested about her opinion. The young woman thought for a while until she shifted and leaned on his chest to look down into his eyes.

"Birth control maybe? Someone might not want that prostitutes have children—but that would also mean Amanda was pregnant or wanted to be."

"You have a point, indeed. That's something we hadn't thought about until now. You should become an investigator."

A broad smile was plastered on her face. "Really? I think fighting for justice would be great!"

The butler chuckled and pulled her on top of him. She squeaked and giggled as she nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed contently.

Soon he felt her soft and steady breathing, aware that she had fallen asleep. Carefully he got up, extinguished the fire and carried her upstairs to his room. Once upon entering he lit a candle on the night-table and lowered her down onto his bed. His movements were so smooth and silent that Annie didn't even wake up as he covered her with the blanket.

He placed his tailcoat on the armchair and kicked his shoes off before he crawled under the blanket as well. As if on instinct, she turned and mumbled incoherently while her face snuggled against his chest again.

Sebastian watched her for a while until his eyes closed as well. "I'll hold you forever in my arms," he mumbled even though she couldn't hear him.

Finally he drifted into a content slumber.

* * *

"Good morning, young Master," Sebastian opened the curtains of the Phantomhive summer residence in the heart of London. The young boy reluctantly opened his eyes and sat up against the headboard of the bed.

"Sebastian—you're back," he stated and yawned while his butler poured tea into a cup and handed it to him.

"I told you I'd be back to wake you up. And this is Earl Grey," he said and began rummaging in the wardrobe to pull out the clothes for his master. Ciel watched him curiously before he asked,

"How was the evening with Annie?"

The butler smiled brightly, but pulled himself together as he turned around. "It was—good," he replied with a more or less calm expression and approached the bed. "She had some interesting new ideas for the Ripper case, actually."

Ciel cocked an eyebrow and bit back a smile. "Where is she now?"

"She's at home, but she'll join us later again so we can discuss the case together," Sebastian placed the clothes on the bed and began to dress Ciel for the day. Once the boy was dressed he followed his butler into the dining room where Sebastian served him a breakfast containing of toast, scones, ham and eggs as well as a delicious tea made from the freshest and finest leaves.

"Did you send the others back to the mansion?" Ciel asked while he nipped from his tea.

"Yes, I thought now that I am back with you here they can return and relax for a while again until we return as well."

Ciel chuckled quietly. "Such a generous move. You seem to be in a quite good mood today."

"Indeed, I am—"

A knock at the front door pulled them out of their conversation. "That might be Annie," Sebastian said with a small twinkle in his eyes as he excused himself and left the dining room.

A couple of moments later he returned with Annie who smiled brightly at Ciel. "Good morning," she said and earned a smile from the boy.  _'Suits you well. You should show this to Lizzy more often,'_  she thought and approached him.

"Would you like to have some tea as well?" Ciel asked as he gestured her to sit down at the table. Her gaze drifted to Sebastian and once again the boy had to pull himself together not to chuckle. "Uhm—yes, a cup of tea would be wonderful," she said and Sebastian poured a cup for her as well.

"Sebastian told me you have some interesting new ideas about the Ripper case," Ciel said and watched her expectantly. She took a sip from the tea and placed the cup down before she replied,

"Yes, actually it might sound silly—"

"It isn't silly. I already told you that no one else of us thought about it like that," Sebastian added and earned an amused look from his master.

"Sit down, Sebastian," he said and the butler obeyed immediately. Once he sat opposite from Annie, Ciel signaled her to go on.

"Well, I thought that those women all had something in common. It has to be about birth. From all the possible trophies a killer could take from his victims, Jack the Ripper only takes the womb. A very unlikely part of the body to take from a woman, don't you think? It is not easy accessible like a hand or an ear. No, he goes out with the urge and the equipment to cut an organ out of a body. Therefore it has to be about giving birth. What if the killer doesn't want that prostitutes get pregnant?"

"That wouldn't explain why he killed your friend," Ciel said and added, "But you might be right in one point. Whoever it is—he targets those women because of a reason. And that has to be about their womb."

"Did the police investigate further in the background of the victims?"

"What do you mean?" Ciel shifted and cast a glance at his butler who watched the girl with so much affection.

Annie tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear before she explained, "I mean—Amanda was not a prostitute and yet she was killed just like the women before. What if they knew each other? Or had something in common."

"What if they had been pregnant?" Sebastian suddenly suggested. Annie and Ciel looked at him quite surprised. The butler smiled. "I mean what if those women were all pregnant, even your friend Amanda?"

"You mean that sick guy cut babies out of them?" Annie said and felt a sudden wave of nausea washing over her. She sipped from her tea and thought about it. "Amanda never told me about a man in her life lately. And her mother didn't know about that as well. As much as her parents loved her, but having a child from some random boy and that in her young age—she was only sixteen!"

The three fell silent for a while until Annie said, "What if they all had been pregnant and—and wanted to abort the children?"

"You mean Jack the Ripper knew about it and is against abortion so he kills them?" Ciel asked and got up to stroll towards the window. Sebastian also got up and placed the plates on the cart. He lowered down next to Annie and took her hand. He leaned in closer to her and whispered,

"You have an assumption, right?"

She looked at him and nodded silently. Ciel turned to look at them again, curious and surprised that the girl really seemed to love his butler. He never thought that her feelings would be so honest that she could love a demon. "What are you talking about?" he asked and approached them again.

Annie cleared her throat. "I thought that they might have been in the same hospital with their problem. And maybe the doctor is Jack the Ripper?"

"That would mean we have to go to the hospital and check the background of every doctor," Ciel said and cast a glance at Sebastian. "And with 'we' I mean  _you_ , Sebastian."

The butler got up and bowed a bit. "Yes, my Lord." He cast a glance at Annie and Ciel sighed heavily. The butler and the girl looked at him and the boy signaled them it would be fine if they say goodbye.

Sebastian sent Annie a smile before he bent down and captured her lips in a short, but tender kiss.

"Be careful," she whispered and caressed his cheek for a moment before he nodded and left the room.

Ciel stepped towards her and offered her his hand. "Care to join me for some chess?"

She chuckled and took his hand. "Chess would be great."

 


	21. Die for you

It was a cold evening and the chill wind howled through the dimly lit streets of London. The shadows of two figures were dancing at the walls and Ciel rubbed his hands to warm them a bit.

"It's too cold! Are you even sure that the killer will be here tonight?" he cast a glance at his butler who stood next to him dressed in his black coat, casually leaning against the brick-wall of the house.

"Mm...I'm sure and for the fact that this is the only entrance and the only way he can take, we will catch him tonight, for sure," Sebastian replied and checked his pocket-watch. "Anyway, I've been telling the truth from the very beginning. I never lied about each investigation result," he added and chuckled amused.

"The only important thing is that we catch him tonight so we can all relax again. I'm sure that Annie might want to know why her friend had been killed, too. Tell me, Sebastian: Did you two...you know?"

"No, I do believe it would be wrong to do such things too fast. I am more than relieved that her feelings are undisturbed by my true identity. And I know she had never done it before and therefore I don't want to push her to do things she is not ready for."

An amused smile tucked at the boy's lips. "Well, that was more information than I intended to get, but it's interesting to see you care so much for another Human being other than myself. You can be thankful that I like Annie. Otherwise I'd forbid you to see her again, I hope you know that."

The butler tilted his head a bit. "Yes, my Lord."

"Aaaaah!" the scream of a woman suddenly cut through the air coming from inside the house which they were investigating. They exchanged a confused look as Ciel called furiously,

"What? But no one went inside! Let's go!"

They ran towards the house and Ciel smashed the door open. His eyes grew wide as he saw the floor covered in blood. With a fast move, Sebastian covered the boy's eyes. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the shadow of a figure approaching out of the shadow, its face covered with blood as well.

"Jack the Ripper...or should I say: Grell Sutcliff?" the butler said as he watched the butler of Madam Red staring at him with almost pleading eyes as he replied,

"No...it's...it's not what it looks like! I heard her crying out and when I reached this place she was already..."

"Already...what?" Sebastian asked with the hint of a smile on his lips while his gloved hand still covered Ciel's eyes who didn't even protested. "We were always right outside the only route leading here. Tell me, Mr. Grell: How did you manage to get into the same room as the victim?"

Grell still tried to look as innocent as possible. Blood dropped from his long, black ponytail and covered his round glasses. He winced for a second as Sebastian continued, "Do you still plan on pretending in the quite messy state you're in? Come on, Mr. Grell, isn't it enough now? Though even 'Grell Sutcliff' must be a fake, right?"

The other still remained silent and so Sebastian went on, "I must say it's the first time I've encountered a 'human' like you. Didn't you act so convincingly?"

Finally the masquerade seemed to fall from the other butler as he lowered his head a bit while a wide grin popped up on his face. Pointy teeth flashed in the dim light as an insane giggle left the other's throat. "Is that so, heh? That's correct! I'm an actress...and a top rate one, at that!"

Bit by bit Grell changed rapidly. Long, dark red hair waved over his shoulders down to his butt. His teeth were almost shark-like, and on his nose was a pair of red-framed glasses which were accessorized with a neck chain containing skulls. He wore a black vest, a white shirt, gloves, a red and white striped bow-tie as well as red and black high-heeled ankle boots.

"Well then let me introduce myself again, Sebastian...I mean, my little Sebast! I am the butler of the Barnett family, Grell Sutcliff!" A bright smile popped up on the red-haired face as he added, "We're both butlers...so hello, beautiful."

Sebastian retreated a bit, quite uncomfortable about the fact that this obviously insane reaper was hitting on him. He narrowed his eyes again, still holding Ciel pressed close against him, covering his eyes. "I've lived long enough. I've never heard of that kind of person becoming a butler. You, who should have stayed neutral between God and humans: A death god!"

Grell remained silent and simply grinned at Sebastian so the butler continued almost amused, "On the other hand, you are more or less a 'god'. So tell me: why did you choose to become a butler?"

The red-haired shinigami stepped closer. "I've been captivated by a woman. And you don't have to ask who that woman is, right?"

The clacking of high-heeled shoes sounded up out of the darkness of the room and Sebastian felt a hand lifting his up, realizing that Ciel was uncovering his eye to take a look at the woman behind all this.

"Sebastian—Ciel—"

Ciel's eyes grew wide in confusion and shock. He narrowed his eyes as he hissed, "Madam Red! From the very beginning, your name was on the list of suspects. I seemed to be blind for too long! Annie mistrusted you right away!"

His aunt crossed her arms and chuckled almost pitifully. "Oh, that little maid, right. Grell will have some fun with her, that's for sure."

"Don't you dare—"Sebastian growled and stepped towards her. "If you lay hands on her I will rip you apart!"

Madame Red's face grew furious as she yelled, " _You_  will not threaten me anymore! And I'm not going to go easy on you anymore as well!"

Sebastian prepared himself to defend Ciel as he stopped and stared at Grell pulling someone out of the shadows as well, head covered with a potato-bag and hands bound on the back. He grinned at Sebastian again as he hissed,

"You are mine, Sebby! And no one will take you from me!"

With a fast move he pulled the bag from the person's head. Long, golden hair tumbled down her shoulders as Annie's gaze drifted to Sebastian. Her mouth was covered. Tears were clearly visible in her eyes and his heart wrenched massively. "No—"he breathed and was about to approach her as the sound of a chainsaw rang menacingly through the air. Sebastian stopped the roaring machine with both of his hands, holding the blade close in front of his face while Grell grinned at him. Annie stumbled and fell against Madame Red who held her close.

"What is that?" Ciel called confused while his gaze drifted between his aunt who was holding the girl in a tight grip, back towards his butler who was holding the blade of the chainsaw in his hands while the red-haired reaper grinned insanely as Grell explained,

"In order to capture souls, all death gods have their own tool. It's called the Death God's Scythe."

With another fast move, Sebastian kicked Grell into his face and sent him flying. Protectively the butler stepped in front of Ciel while his gaze never unglued Annie. His breath came heavily as he said,

"The death god's scythe is really a troublesome thing. And now let her go!"

Madame Red's hand went to Annie's throat. "You think so, Sebastian? You poor thing. You shouldn't have fallen in love. Your mind is poisoned, right?"

"I've never been so clear in my life!" he hissed and stepped towards her, but stopped as he saw her fingers tighten around Annie's throat once again. The blonde girl struggled and tried to free herself but to no effect. Muffled noises left her throat and with a brutal move, Madame Red pulled the tape away to free the girl's mouth.

"P-please, stop it!" Annie breathed as her gaze drifted from Madame Red, to Grell and back to Sebastian. Her eyes grew wide as she finally spotted Ciel slowly lowering his eye-patch and for the very first time she saw his other eye. It was colored in lilac and the sign of his and Sebastian's contract clearly visible. She opened her mouth, but kept silent as Ciel finally growled,

"In the name of Her Majesty and my own wretched name, I command you! Sebastian, capture them and rescue Annie!"

Slowly Sebastian lifted his hand up towards his mouth, his eyes already glowing in their pink form as his pointy fangs grabbed his glove and pulled it away, revealing the sign on the back of his hand as well. Annie watched him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest but she knew he would save her.

' _I would die for you, Annie'_  he thought and said, "Yes, my Lord."


	22. Tonight

Rain started pouring down on them while Sebastian unbuttoned his black coat and placed it over Ciel's head to keep the rain away from him. Finally his gaze drifted back to Grell who already started his chainsaw again.

With horror, the blonde girl watched as the red-haired reaper swung his scythe at Sebastian, but the butler duck away in an attempt to reach her and pull her to safety. Madam Red brought Annie out of his reach once more.

"Oh, what a sweet sight it is. A demon in love—now you will learn  _why_  that should never happen," she chuckled diabolically. Annie struggled against her and finally managed to kick against the other woman's shin.

"Ouh, you dirty little—"Madame Red let go of Annie and pushed her away. The roaring sound of the chainsaw became even louder as it appeared right in front of her. She screamed and raised her arms in protection. Something warm and liquid covered her skin and the sound of the chainsaw stopped for a moment. Carefully she lowered her arms and opened her eyes carefully just to see her skin covered in blood. And yet she realized that it was not her own blood. Clutching his shoulder, Sebastian stood protectively in front of her, panting heavily while blood dripped out of his wound.

"Seb—Sebastian—"she breathed and stepped towards him, but once again Grell appeared out of nowhere, swinging his scythe threateningly.

"Hurting you little by little will be most effective, won't it," the red-haired death god chuckled, his eyes flashing in the dim light of the street lamps. Ciel stood motionless with his back pressed against the wall of a house and stared in utter disbelief at the scene in front of him. Slowly, Madame Red approached him, arms crossed in front of her chest and said,

"You and I have become the guard dog and the prey. If you're going to hunt me down—"she pulled a long knife out of the sleeve of her red coat and rushed towards him yelling, "there's only one way!"

She sliced his upper arm a bit, made him crashing back against the wall again. He cried out in pain, but Sebastian was unable to reach him. Nor was he able to prevent what was happening next: Annie cried out in anger, picked up a stone from the ground and rushed towards Madam Red. The red-haired woman whirled around and sliced Annie's arm as well.

"What a feast, what a feast, don't you think, Sebby?" Grell chuckled while Sebastian was still holding the blade of the chainsaw between the palms of his hands.

Annie crashed against the wall as well, clutching at her wound and yelled, "Why would you, a doctor, do such cruel things?"

With a deadly voice, Madam Red replied, "Even if I explained, a brat like you would never understand. Nor would  _you_ ," she whirled around and pointed at Ciel. With another fast move she stepped towards him and choked him with one hand. "A brat like you—like you—should never have been born," she yelled and raised the knife again.

"Young Master!" Sebastian called, kicked Grell away and was about to kill Madam Red. That was when Ciel called,

"Stop! Sebastian, don't kill her!"

The butler stopped in his movement, heavily panting while the red-haired woman let the knife drop again. Annie had already begun crying and staggered back up to her feet. Sebastian cast a glance at her, checked if she was fine. She sent him a weak but reassuring smile which he replied quickly.

"What are you waiting for, Madam? Kill that kid and that—filthy girl," Grell stopped his chainsaw and approached them slowly. Madam Red had buried her face in her hands and cried heart-wrenchingly.

"I—I can't," she whispered and looked into Ciel's eyes. "I just can't. I can't kill this child. I can't kill her—"she looked at Annie whose eyes were teary-wet as well.

"What are you saying after having cut up all those women?" Grell asked quite dashed. "If you don't get rid of this kid, you'll be the one who's disposed of."

"Why did you do this?" the blonde girl breathed and stepped away from the wall and closer towards her, though still close to Sebastian. "Why did you kill all these women? Why did you kill my friend?"

"This child is my—"Madame Red began but within a second, the chainsaw rang up again and sliced through her stomach.

Annie screamed and turned away in shock as Grell yelled loudly, "I am so disappointed, Madam Red. I have no interest in you if you're just like all the other women!" With that he tossed her away to the ground.

"And _you!"_  the death god pointed at Annie now. "You are just as worthless! Sebby is  _mine_  and will always be  _mine!_  A demon and a human! Pah!" he chuckled with a disgusted look in his eyes.

"I would die for her, so whatever you do—you will never get me. I'd rather die than be with you!" Sebastian growled but fell silent, so did the rest of the group as out of Madame Red's wound came what seemed to be some kind of a film roll. Annie stared at her, confused what this was all about.

Even Sebastian seemed to have no idea and therefore Grell explained, "The memories played back to be judged on the list of those who are scheduled to die by a higher power. That is the job of us reaper. What kind of human they are, what sort of life they led, whether they should be allowed to live or be killed."

Sebastian, back in his normal butler appearance, narrowed his eyes for a second before he concluded, "In other words, a flashback of their life?"

Grell sighed theatrically. "My, stop it with all those horrible, old-fashioned names. The dramatic pain. This is the true power of the Reaper! It's the Cinematic Record."

Annie's gaze drifted to the bleeding woman lying on the ground, blood still spilling out of her wound while also the record whirled around them. Suddenly they heard the voice of Madame Red, more like an echo and yet Annie understood that she was narrating her own life to them.

" _My frail sister was a gentle and extremely beautiful woman, but she never put on any airs, and I loved her the most. I loved her amber hair the most that was just like our mother's. I admired it so much."_

Rain still poured down on them, turning the ground into a messy mix of water and blood. Annie had grabbed Sebastian's hand while they stood close by Ciel. Madame Red's voice spoke up again,

" _I first encountered that man when I was fifteen years old. I used to hate my red hair that was just like my father's. I used to hate red. That man told me my hair was beautiful and that I should be more confident. And so I cut my bangs. I came to love my red hair, that was just like my father's. I came to love red."_

" _I fell in love with that man. When that man came, I would wear the red that he said matched me the most. But that man I loved most was going to marry the sister I loved most."_

The grip around Sebastian's hand tightened a bit as he saw tears flowing down Annie's cheeks. No matter what happened before, the kidnapping, the fact that Madame Red didn't care about her at all—all this was washed away by the story they were listening to now. He wished nothing more but embrace her tightly now, and yet he couldn't do it with that insane death god still standing a bit apart with his chainsaw, grinning at them quite amused about the story of Madame Red.

" _I wore red, the color I loved most, to the wedding. If the two people I loved most were going to be happy, then I would be very happy too. It should have been this way. A boy was born. My nephew was born. My most beloved sister and that man's child. And I began to hate red again. From that moment on, I began to frequently attend the parties I hated the most. I attended these parties dressed in the most lavish long dresses and make up. I don't remember when it started, but people began to call me Madam Red."_

Another silence hung heavily in the air. Ciel stepped closer to Annie and his butler, staring down at his aunt, his eyes wide in shock and confusion.

" _On the other hand, I studied hard. And against the wishes of my parents, I obtained a doctor's license. My gentle sister. My cute nephew. They were all the people I loved the most. However, I've always felt it. That feeling of burning passion. Eventually, I married a man I met at a party. I told him I had a man I could not forget. To this he said, 'Even so, I don't mind.' He was an honest and pure man."_

" _Eventually I became pregnant. He treated me very well, and I was very happy. And then there was that one night. A horse carriage went out and hit us. My husband died. Some of my organs were damaged. My ovaries had been removed. They had no other choice."_

Annie clung closer to Sebastian, her face pressed against his unharmed shoulder. Slowly he placed his arm around her, always keeping one eye glued to Grell. The death god simply glared at them, but did not make any attempt to attack at all.

" _My sister came often to visit. She cheered me up greatly. She told me it would be her son's tenth birthday soon. She invited me to celebrate together. I protested, but there was no way to change her mind. And soon enough, this day arrived. In the end I still couldn't refuse. To be honest, I didn't feel like going, because I—Actually I—Suddenly my carriage stopped. And there it was again. It was the color I hated the most: Crimson Red! The mansion was alit."_

Now Annie realized that she would learn about the motives of Madam Red. She looked up again, still sobbed a bit and brushed the tears away. Sebastian looked down at her for a second and she saw concern in his crimson colored eyes. She knew that story didn't affect him the slightest, he was just concerned about Ciel and herself.

" _The whole Phantomhive family was murdered by someone. The house was completely destroyed by the fire. The bodies of my sister and her husband were in a horrible state. But there was no sign of their child's body. I lost everyone that I loved; everything disappeared to a place where I couldn't reach. I was devastated. Yet, at the same time, I was envious of my sister. Because she was able to die together with the someone she loved. As a survivor, I still have to carry on living. However—those women came to me. They came to me to the hospital, wanting to abort their unwanted children. I was filled with hatred. They have something which I can never hope to have, no matter how much I desire for it! The things I yearned for. The things I treasured. The me who lost everything. And there were they who obviously have everything I desired for, but yet they choose to throw everything away. These prostitutes—that young girl—what wrongs have I committed? Why am I the only one cursed with this unfortunate fate? All I did was—was—I hated them! Hated them! Hated them so much!"_

"Sebastian—I can't listen to this any longer," Annie mumbled and felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Suddenly Grell moved quickly towards the bleeding woman and chuckled,

"You are not fit to wear red! The curtains of this cheap theatre act of your life falls now! Goodbye, Madame!" His chainsaw whirled again and finally ended the woman's life forever. Blood splattered onto their skins and Annie turned away, dropped on her knees and threw up. Ciel approached her, pulled her hair back and turned to look at Sebastian.

"Sebastian—take down Jack the Ripper!"

"Yes, my Lord," he nodded, cast a quick glance at Annie who looked miserable and turned to glare at Grell. The red-haired death god grinned cheekily and called,

"Now I shall send all of you to Heaven!"

He swung his chainsaw at the butler who jumped back. "Heaven? I don't have an affinity with that place," Sebastian chuckled and kicked Grell in the face, made him slam into a nearby wall.

"Do you really think that a demon can win a god?"

They both panted heavily. Out of the corner of his eyes, Sebastian saw Ciel pulling Annie back on her feet and they retreated back into the shadow, out of the reach of Grell. "What do you think?" he finally turned to cast a glance at the death god again. "I myself do not know since I have never tried it before. However, since my master wants me to win, I  _will_  win! And not only will I revenge what you have done with these women—you were close to kill my—Annie."

"Oh, your Annie! Your Annie! You're a demon! How can a demon and a Human be so close? That's nonsense!" Grell yelled in frustration.

"Are you jealous?" Sebastian asked quite amused and stepped closer towards the death god.

Grell laughed insanely. "That doesn't matter! However, even if you are a demon, you will perish once critically hit by my death scythe! Aren't your scared?"

"Not the slightest—"he jumped towards the red-haired. Swinging the chainsaw, Grell missed the approaching shoe as Sebastian kicked him right into his face. They jumped up onto the roof of the little house. Suddenly Grell sliced Sebastian right across his chest.

"Noooo!" Annie screamed and stared up towards them as she saw blood splattering out of the butler's chest as well as that all so familiar film roll. "No—Sebastian," she sobbed and cried loudly. Ciel stared up at the two figures as Sebastian's cinematic record lay before them.

"Let me view a Cinematic Record peppered with dramatic memories," Grell chuckled and watched the visions in front of him. With each part of the record, his smile faded. Now Ciel and Annie could see the visions clearly as well. Tanaka appeared, sipping from his tiny cup of tea, Mey-Rin crashing a cart with porcelain, Bard protesting that he wants to cook as well, Finny destroying the trees in the garden. Annie couldn't help but giggle quietly and even Ciel bit back a smile as he saw the disappointed face of the death god.

And there they were—the memories that seemed to flood his record. A door opening, a pair of bright green eyes looking at him quite shocked until a warm and relieved smile curled the blonde girl's lips. Things Ciel saw for the first time, all those little moments between his butler and the girl. The dance at the ball, the cat Annie had smuggled into the mansion, Sebastian talking to her parents, Annie kissing him, his rejection. Now Ciel understood why Annie had quit her job. Carefully he cast a glance at her, saw her teary-wet eyes. Every single moment of them lay before them all.

"Wait a moment! What are these things? Who are those people? Why is  _she_  in every part of your record?" Grell growled furiously.

Sebastian chuckled, his wound closed, the record stopped. "That's because my life for the past year has been like this—"

Once again they attacked each other, aggressively, without any mercy. Whenever Grell's scythe came near the butler, Annie squeaked and covered her eyes. Suddenly Sebastian had managed to kick Grell to the ground and snatched his chainsaw.

"Well then—"the demon butler grinned in triumph and lifted the chainsaw up. As he was about to let it go down on Grell, another voice suddenly called,

"Stop! Stop it!"

Everyone looked up again, facing a black haired man, dressed in a suit and a pair of glasses on his nose. "I am William T. Spears of the Dispatch Management Division of the Death Gods. I am here to pick this Death God," he gestured at Grell who was still lying on the ground.

"William! William! Oh, you are here to save me!" the red-haired called relieved and slowly staggered back to his feet.

"Dispatch Member Grell Sutcliff, you have broken the rules! Firstly, you have killed people whose names are not listed on the Death List, and also, you used your scythe without permission and even modified it without following proper procedures!"

Annie couldn't believe what she just witnessed. Was this real? That insane death god had a boss? What was just happening? Everything that had happened this night—all the infos came crashing onto her and finally her knees gave in. Sebastian, certain that there was no harm from Grell anymore now that the other death god was there, rushed towards her and caught her before she hit the hard cobblestone of the road. Carefully he lifted her up and cast a quick glance at William.

"We will leave now—take care of him so he won't annoy us any longer," the butler said and gestured at Grell. William nodded shortly and turned away. Finally Sebastian signaled Ciel to follow him.

Together they entered a carriage and made their way back to the mansion.

* * *

Comforting warmth covered Annie as she opened her eyes the next time. She blinked confused and realized that she was lying in the bathtub of the mansion. The actual mansion, not the summer residence. She cast a glance around and saw that she was in her old room. The one she had resided in during her time as a maid. Her gaze drifted out of the window, saw that it was still deep in the night. The room was lid by several candles which gave the room a wonderful warm and soft light.

Stars were shining brightly outside of the open window and the scent of fresh rain and roses entered the room and a smile curled her lips. After all the things she had learned the previous hours—the true identity of Jack the Ripper, the existence of death gods and the fact that Amanda had really been pregnant and was killed for aborting her child had been too much for her. Now that she lay silently in the warm water of the tub, she finally found some peace and time to calm down again. She remembered Sebastian's cinematic record that was filled with her.

She closed her eyes and sighed contently. A sudden new feeling began growing in the center of her body as the warm water touched every fiber of her body. She blushed as she thought about his soft skin touching hers. As the door of the bath opened she winced and opened her eyes again.

"How do you feel?" he asked and approached her slowly. She gazed up at him, could see admiration in his eyes. She blushed a bit as she realized that she was covered by nothing but—water. She slid deeper into the water. Her blonde hair was floating and cascading, making her even more admirable to him.

"I feel—it's alright. Tired, but—I'm glad that this horrible case is finally solved. Even though it was so tragic," she fell silent and watched him kneeling next to the tub. He pulled his gloves off, tossed them aside, and gently took her hands in his. They held gaze for several moments, simply enjoyed being together again, unharmed.

"Sebastian—your record—I never knew that you were thinking about me like this from the first moment. I mean, you said that to me, but seeing this with my own eyes—I never felt so happy in my entire life," she whispered and slowly pushed herself up a bit to capture his lips in a gentle kiss. She didn't even care what he might see of her body. Sebastian carefully slid his arms into the water and lifted her out of it. Upon breaking the kiss he took a soft, warm towel and began caressing her skin, drying her up with aching slowness and so tenderly as if he feared to break her. And much to her own surprise she felt her body tingling even more with each of his movements, and her shyness seemed to vanish with each passing second.

Finally he stopped and looked into her eyes again. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I know I already told you this and you have seen it earlier but I will repeat it over and over again: You are my heart."

Her hands cupped his cheeks, pulled him down into another kiss. As they parted once more she breathed, "I love you, Sebastian. Will you hold me tonight?"

Sensing the deeper meaning of her question, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. She squeaked and giggled as she wrapped her legs around him, blushed a bit a she felt his reaction beneath his pants.

"I will hold you—"he breathed and carried her into the bedroom and lowered her down onto the soft bed. Never letting go of him, she kept him on top of her. His lips placed a trail of kisses down along the side of her neck, made her moan quietly while her hands buried into his hair. A smile curled his lips as he kissed and licked further down, caressing and worshipping every inch of her body. Once he kissed all the way up again he felt her nervously fumbling at the buttons of his shirt. He chuckled and helped her, let her push his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. Her hand stroked over the soft skin of his muscular chest and stomach, made him close his eyes as he enjoyed that intense feeling she was giving him by those simple touches.

"Are you certain that you want this?" he whispered as she began nestling at his trouser. Her emerald eyes looked up into his crimson ones, hers already a shade darker and filled with determination. She nodded and smiled at him.

"I know you won't hurt me," she whispered and finally opened the button of his trouser. Sebastian began pushing his trouser down until no fabric was separating them anymore. Carefully he parted her legs and captured her lips in yet another kiss. Catching a glimpse of his manhood she blushed a bit, but was amazed at the same time.

"I'll be gentle," he breathed and began to enter her bit by bit. She closed her eyes as he slid deeper into her. Her body trembled as she wrapped her legs around his waist again, her arms tightened around his neck. As he reached a resistance inside her he stopped and looked into her eyes that were open again in shock.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked concerned but she shook her head.

"N-No, it's just—don't stop, Sebastian."

He smiled and kissed her gently while he thrusted a bit harder and was finally imbedded inside her. He groaned a bit, never before did he feel like this. Carefully he began moving in a slow and gentle rhythm. Each move made her moan and cry out in pleasure. None of them cared about, who might hear them. The world around them was far away, there was no one else but them in this very moment.

Each of his thrust became harder and she couldn't stop it as she cried out his name and he felt like losing control as he felt her climax washing over her. She dug her nails into his back and cried out in pleasure. That was too much for him and with one final thrust he exploded, filled her deeply while he breathed and moaned her name and finally broke down on her. He buried his face into the crook of her neck while both tried to catch breath again.

After what seemed to be an entire lifetime, he rolled down from her and covered them both with the blanket. She cuddled up against him, her head placed on his chest and with a content sigh she fell asleep over the sound of his rapid heartbeat.


	23. Funeral

Ciel sat silently at his breakfast table, deep in thoughts. His chin leaned on the palm of his hand while he stared absently at the tea in his cup.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "You should eat, young Master. This day will be long and exhausting for you."

The young boy sighed and cast a glance at his butler. One week had passed since their encounter with Madam Red and her insane butler Grell who turned out to be a Death God.

"How does Annie feel, Sebastian? Will she join us for the funeral?" he asked and took a small bite from a scone. He munched on it and drowned it with a sip of his tea before he looked at his butler again.

"She is still uncertain, but she will call if we shall pick her up from home," he replied and brushed a crumb from the wooden table. He bit back the urge to smile whenever his mind drifted to that wonderful young girl which was now officially his beloved one. Ciel had asked him about that certain night one week ago. He knew the boy had heard them, but he did not care. Feeling Annie's soft skin, her comforting warmth, her loving kisses—all that was what made him feel happy for the first time in his long life.

"Well then—prepare the carriage. I still need a few moments," Ciel pushed himself up and took his cane. Slowly he left the room and entered his bedroom. Sebastian was about to bring the rest of the breakfast down to the kitchen as the doorbell rang.

"Annie, you decided to come?" he said upon opening the door. "Ciel still needs a few moments," he said and gestured her to step inside. His gaze drifted along her beautiful black dress, down those marvelous legs that had kept him so tight against her. He smiled as she tiptoed and captured his lips in a tender kiss.

"I thought it is the best. No matter what happened—Madam Red was a victim of her own past and a victim of Grell. She deserves that much of respect. Amanda died, yes, but it was not Madam Red who killed her," she replied and stepped away from him.

"Your heart is that of a lion. Strong and kind," he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And you know how much I love cats."

She chuckled and nodded. "You never cease to make me smile, Sebastian. That is why I love you so much."

A door opened and closed and the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the entry-hall. Annie looked up and saw Ciel, dressed in his best clothes and carrying something that looked like a dress.

"Annie, it is good to see you here," the boy said and walked down the flight of stairs towards his butler and the girl. "Sebastian, take this and bring it to the carriage," he handed him the red bundle which was really a dress.

"A red dress?" Annie asked curiously and examined it. "It belonged to her—right?"

Ciel simply nodded and put on his black coat while Sebastian stepped outside and placed the dress in the back of the carriage. He turned around and offered Annie his hand to help her step into it as well. Once Ciel was inside as well, the butler gave Finny the signal to move. Sebastian lowered down next to Annie and took her hand, both shared a silent look. The carriage moved along the street, heading to the church and Annie could see that Ciel's mind was troubled.

"No matter what she did—she loved you," she tried to comfort him and earned a simple and silent nod from him.

After a while the carriage stopped in front of the massive building of the church. Annie checked her pocket-watch and saw that they were already a bit too late. Sebastian took her hand in his and smiled down at her as they followed Ciel towards the entrance. With a push, the boy swung the doors open which made all the guests look up at them in surprise. Annie spotted Lizzy standing at the open coffin. The young girl turned and ran down the aisle.

"You came," she said with a sob and wrapped her arms comfortingly around Ciel's neck. Once she stepped away from him she cast a quick glance at Annie and Sebastian. Finally her gaze dropped to the dress in the boy's hands.

"A red dress?" she asked confused and watched him curiously while he walked past her towards the coffin, ignoring the looks of the others on him while he bent over to take a closer look at his dead aunt.

Annie pulled Sebastian down on one of the benches and Lizzy lowered down next to her. Together they watched how Ciel placed a red rose and the red dress into the coffin.

"It must be so hard for him," Lizzy sobbed and brushed some tears away. She cast a quick glance at Annie. "You look pale, do you feel unwell?"

Sebastian looked upon Annie and saw that she was indeed a bit pale. That worried him a lot. Her gaze drifted from Lizzy to Sebastian and he saw that she blushed a bit. "Is everything all right?" he asked confused.

"I just feel a bit sick. It—well, it should be  _that_ time of month for me within the next few days," she replied and smiled reassuringly. "So, yes, I am fine. It's nothing serious," she leaned her head against his shoulder and sent a smile at Lizzy who smiled back brightly.

Later, the guests escorted the coffin to the graveyard where it was lowered down into the earth. Ciel, Annie and Sebastian were the last ones staying at the grave while the rest was already gone again. Annie had promised Lizzy to call her later. Now the trio looked down at the marbled tombstone.

"Will you tell the Queen who Jack the Ripper really was?"the girl asked and cast a quick glance at Ciel.

The boy sighed. "No, I don't think that is necessary. London is free of Jack the Ripper now—there is no need to reveal the identity to anyone else than us."

She nodded understandingly. "I haven't talked about it to anyone. My parents just know that Jack the Ripper—well I told them that he died and that there will be no killing anymore."

"There will always be killing in this world," Sebastian said and placed a kiss on top of her head, "The only difference is the way Humans will do it. Jack the Ripper is gone—but there will be another one someday."

"And you will be there to stop him," Annie said determined and caressed his cheek. "You and Ciel—you are a team. No matter what—"

Ciel looked at her surprised. "You are truly remarkably, Annie. Maybe we should leave and have some tea at home. You look like you can use some."

"Yes, I am freezing," she said and wrapped her arms around herself while they walked back towards the street where Finny was waiting with the carriage.

"Maybe it is not just because of  _that_  time of the month. Maybe you caught flu or something," Sebastian said once they were on their way back to the mansion.

She sighed contently and leaned against him, made him wrap his arm around her. With her head snuggled against his chest she mumbled,

"Whatever it is—all I need is you to keep me warm."


	24. Something's there

It was a surprisingly warm autumn morning as Annie woke up slowly as the scent of freshly baked scones and sweet tea crept into her nose. She stirred and stretched and finally her eyes opened. A smile curled her lips and by instinct she reached out for her lover's hand and pulled him down to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Good morning, my beauty," Sebastian breathed and leaned in closer to capture her lips in a tender kiss. Her hand slid into the back of his neck to keep him closer and intensify the kiss for a moment.

"Every morning waking up next to you is a good morning," she mumbled. "How late is it?" she sat up and rubbed sleep off her eyes. He chuckled and played with a strand of her golden hair before he checked his pocket-watch.

"It is almost ten and for the fact that you had planned to spend the day with Lizzy, I thought it would be the best to wake you up now," he replied and earned a playful scowl from her.

"After all this time you still mock me for being a slugabed?" she pinched his arm.

"Nothing's wrong with that. I love you just the way you are," he kissed her once more.

"And I love  _you_  just the way you are," she replied and nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck. "But you are right—I should really get up now. I told Lizzy I'll be ready for shopping at noon."

"Well then—Ciel is busy with learning right now. Let me get you ready, my Lady," he lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. She giggled and cupped his cheek with her other hand.

"Such a charmer you are," she chuckled. "So, what do you have on mind first?"

"First of all," he reached for the plate with warm scones and offered her one. Annie was about to reach for it when he pulled it away and whispered, "Let me feed you, my love."

"How is it even possible that you make me fall even more for you?" she asked with a smile and closed her eyes as she bit from the scone. "Mmmh—"she sighed in satisfaction and looked back into his eyes again.

Once the scone was finished, she emptied a cup of tea and finally got up. Dressed in a white gown she stepped towards the window and opened it. A soft breeze caressed her face and played with her long mane.

Sebastian stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips on top of her head. With his eyes closed, he inhaled the scent of her hair. "You smell so delicious," he whispered and earned a chuckle as she turned around to face him.

"One may find this quite disturbing upon hearing this coming from a demon," she replied amused and kissed him deeply. "And now—I really have to get dressed."

* * *

"Look at that dress, Annie!" Lizzy squealed as she pulled her friend towards a shop-window. "Isn't this cute?"

"It's a bit too pink for my liking, but it might suit you. Let's go inside and you can try it on," Annie replied and opened the door of the shop. A tiny bell rang quietly as it opened and closed again and the two blonde girls stepped into the shop.

"Good day and welcome. How can I help you?" a woman in her mid-forties stepped towards them with a warm smile on her lips.

"My friend would like to try that pink dress over there," Annie replied and gestured at Lizzy and then at the dress in front of the window.

"Of course, follow me, Miss," she said and signaled Lizzy to follow her. The young girl followed the shop-owner while Annie examined the other dresses. With a thoughtful sigh she let her fingertips trail over the soft fabric of a red dress. Nearly two months had passed since the funeral of Madam Red. Since then she commuted from her parent's house to the Phantomhive mansion every other week. Though Ciel had already offered her to move to the mansion forever, but Annie wanted to keep the option of visiting her mother and father and so she had settled down in both places.

"Annie! Look!" Lizzy's voice pulled her out of her daze. She turned and smiled at her friend. The young girl spun around and giggled merrily. "Isn't this the best dress ever?"

"It suits you very well, just like I thought. You should take it," she replied.

Lizzy jumped towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I will take it. Did you find a nice dress for yourself?" she asked and went to pay for the dress which she decided to keep on.

"No—I mean, there are some very beautiful ones but I actually don't feel so well right now."

Lizzy took the bag with her old dress and stepped towards her friend, watched her carefully. "Do you feel sick? You look a bit pale, too. Have you eaten enough today?"

"Uhm—yes, a scone and two cups of tea. Sebastian surprised me with breakfast in bed," she smiled almost absently. "Anyway, I feel like I need a place to sit down for a while. Maybe we should go to the park."

"Come, let's go. Not that you break down," Lizzy linked her arm with Annie's and together they left the shop again and walked along the street that was leading them to a little municipal park that was occupied by several mothers with their children, or women with dogs and men reading the newspaper. It was quite a busy place at this time of the day, especially because the sun was shining brightly.

They lowered down on a wooden bench close to a little water lily pond. Annie inhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. She felt that someone was watching her and turned to look at Lizzy.

"Do you feel better?" the young girl asked and Annie sensed that she worried about her quite a lot. She nodded reassuringly and led her gaze back towards the horizon.

"Yes, seems I really just needed some fresh air and some rest. After all I've been through some tough times the previous months and now that we are all safe again my body might take its time to calm down and that might be the reason why I felt a bit sick. In the shop I saw a red dress similar to Madam Red's and that made me feel a bit sad again. But now I'm fine," she replied and fumbled with the golden chain of her pocket watch.

"Well, that your body is trying to rest after all the events is quite visible," Lizzy giggled and patted Annie's slightly curved tummy.

"Are you saying I'm getting fat?" Annie asked playfully offended and chuckled as she saw Lizzy's smile fade for a moment until she pinched the young girl's arm again and added, "That was a joke. I know that my tummy is a bit more curved than before. Seems to be because of Sebastian's delicious desserts."

"Oh, maybe you also felt sick because it might be your time of month again?" Lizzy suddenly said. "I remember that you looked pale and felt sick in the church as well. See, there we have another possible explanation."

Annie chuckled and nodded when suddenly her smile faded. She frowned and began to rummage in her satchel.

"What's wrong?" Lizzy watched her confused as she saw Annie's hands tremble a bit as she revealed a little note-book. Her finger glided over the pages, her eyes growing even wider.

"Lizzy—"she breathed. "I think I found the answer."

* * *

Upon returning to the mansion in late afternoon, Annie went straight upstairs towards her room and closed the door. Sebastian had been busy in the kitchen, that was what Mey-Rin had told her, and so she decided to think about her recent discovery.

Nervously she flipped through her notebook again and again, counting and growing eve more nervous. As she heard a soft knock at the door, she winced and closed her little journal and went to open the door.

"I missed you," the butler breathed and kissed her tenderly. "Did you have fun?" he asked once they broke the kiss.

Annie nodded and pulled him into her room. "It was nice, yes," she replied and lowered onto the edge of her bed. Sebastian closed the door and watched her concerned.

"You look troubled. What's wrong?" he asked and lowered down next to her.

"Sebastian—can I ask you something?"

He chuckled. "You can ask me anything you want, Annie."

She began playing with his fingers while she tried to find the right words. "Is—is it possible that a demon and a human—when they made love—I mean, I know making love is not what you say about a demon taking a woman, but—you know what I mean, right?"

He blinked in confusion. "I—think I do. And what exactly is your question now?"

"Is it possible that they can have a—baby? And if so—would it be a half-demon, half-human and would it be just like a normal human baby?"

Sebastian shifted a bit and cupped her face. "Why do you ask these questions?" he asked carefully.

"Answer them, please—"she whispered.

"Well, yes, it is possible and yes it would be like a human, though maybe a little bit bigger. Giving birth to it might be harder than for a normal baby, I guess. But it would not be deformed. So, now tell me: Why do you ask me this?"

She sighed and smiled at him uncertainly. "I—I am overdue, Sebastian. Two months—"

The last time his heart had leaped so massively was when Annie had finally accepted him in his true form, had confessed her love to him and decided to love him no matter what he was. Just now, in this very moment, he felt the same kind of happiness again.

He took her hands in his and smiled at her. "Are you telling me that—that you and I—"

She chuckled quietly. "Yes, Sebastian—we'll have a baby."

 


	25. Start spreading the news

A soft breeze caressed her face while Annie was lying on the soft, green grass at the shore of a quietly murmuring river. The sun shone brightly, standing high at the sky and the sound of birds and buzzing bees filled the air.

Sudden laughter rang up as Finny and Mey-Rin started chasing Bard along the shore. Annie smiled, her eyes still closed, while she thought how wonderful the idea of Lizzy had been to spend this lovely, warm day outside with a picnic. Though Ciel had been quite reluctant at first, but Lizzy wouldn't be Lizzy if she wouldn't be able to change the boy's mind.

Suddenly a shadow fell on her, blocking the rays of the sun from reaching her face. She frowned and opened her eyes, a warm smile curled her lips as she looked up into the crimson eyes of the man, or better say demon she loved.

"How do you feel?" he asked and crouched in front of her. His gaze drifted to her belly that was still not giving too much away, at least not in the dress she was wearing. Annie propped herself on her elbows and cast a quick glance around, checking if the others could hear her, but Ciel was too occupied by Lizzy and the servants still chased each other.

"I'm fine, though I fear we cannot hide it so much longer anymore. I feel that my body starts to change," she stroked her slightly grown belly.

"I know. I just couldn't find the right moment to tell him, yet. Though he knows very well that we do certain things, but I think he never really thought about it that you would be able to get pregnant from someone like me," he whispered and placed his gloved hand on hers that still lie on her belly.

She nodded understandingly when suddenly she gasped surprised. He looked at her and smiled, both feeling the soft kick beneath the palm of their hands.

"She's moving—"he whispered; his voice filled of utter excitement. They exchanged a surprised look as cheeky grin popped up on her face.

"She? You wish to have a little baby girl?" she asked teasingly and saw a light blush on his cheeks. Just when she thought she couldn't fall any harder for him, he did or said something so sweet that made her fall in love with him more and more all over again.

"I wouldn't mind if it is a boy or a girl, but yes secretly I wish for a girl," he chuckled and winced as Ciel called his name. He placed a soft kiss on Annie's forehead before he went to see what his young master wanted.

As Annie was just about to lower down on her back again, Lizzy knelt down next to her with her ever cheerful smile plastered on her face. Her blonde pigtails wiggled in the soft wind as she took Annie's hand.

"I can't wait to see your baby," she said quietly though her voice filled with excitement. "I guess it is the most beautiful baby in the world. Imagine it to have  _his_  hair and your eyes. Or the other way round. Oh, and if it is a girl then we will go to town and buy so many cute dresses and shoes and socks for her tiny baby feet. And Sebastian will be a wonderful father, just look how much he cares for Ciel. Now imagine him with a tiny baby cradled in his arms," she babbled without even taking a breath between her sentences until she fell silent.

Annie looked over towards the butler and Ciel and imagined just that very same thing Lizzy had just mentioned seconds before. Yes, the image of Sebastian sitting in the garden of the mansion with their tiny baby cradled on his arms made her feel warm and happy. Her motherly instincts seemed to kick in slowly as she thought about her own little family she was about to have in a few months. She didn't care that her baby would be only half human. She knew the little thing inside her belly would grow to be a kind-hearted, sweet child with even some demonic powers which it would be able to control just as perfect as his or her father.

Her parents already knew about the baby and were more than amazed to become grandparents. Though Annie hadn't told them about Sebastian's true nature. And she had not the intention to mention that to them. Why should she? She loved him just the way he was and that was the only thing that counted. No one else but she and Ciel needed to know about that. Not even Lizzy or any of the other servants knew his secret and that was a good thing.

There was only one thing they had to do and that was finally telling Ciel about the baby. Annie knew that Sebastian had his doubts about his young master's reaction to that. No matter how much Ciel enjoyed Annie's company and that he accepted their love with everything that comes with it, but having a child a Human was definitely not part of their contract and so he might or might not be fine with that.

Finding the right moment to tell him was not the easiest thing, though was there ever a right moment to do such things? Is  _the_ right moment not only a saying to avoid uncomfortable situations and discussions?

"Annie? Are you alright?" Lizzy asked and pulled her out of her train of thoughts.

"What? Oh, yes—I was just lost in thoughts," she replied and sat up again, her gaze drifted to Bard and Finny who just jumped into the water of the river. It splashed and covered the girls, made Lizzy squeak.

"The water is so warm! You should join us in here!" Bard called and signaled Mey-Rin, Annie and Lizzy to jump into the water as well.

"I will not go into the water and ruin my dress and my hair," Lizzy protested while Mey-Rin had stripped down her dress and stood uncertainly at the shore, dressed in a swim-suit.

Ciel sighed annoyed while Sebastian poured a cup of tea for him. "They enjoy a day off from work, young Master. Let them have fun for a while," the butler said and cast a glance at the others.

Annie had just got up and stripped her dress as well, dressed in a beautiful red swimsuit. His eyes softened as a dreamy smile curled his lips. Ciel's gaze drifted to the blonde girl, too and frowned.

"Is it just me or did she gain some weight around her hips?" the young boy asked and saw out of the corner of his eyes that his butler twitched a second as if being pulled out of a deep trance. Sebastian remained silent for a few moments until he sighed.

"Young Master, there is something I have to tell you and I am truly sorry for not doing this earlier," he began and turned to look at Ciel. The boy watched him curiously, his blue eye twinkling in the sun.

"And what might that be?"

Sebastian looked over at Annie again and saw her lowering down into the warm water, her hand stroking over her belly. And still, after all that time, she made him feel happy. Happier than he ever thought could be possible. And he knew she would be a wonderful mother to their child. He could imagine her sitting in the garden of the mansion with their little girl cradled in her arms.

A girl? He smiled and felt deep inside his chest that this child would be a girl. Annabelle—the sound of that name sounded so right to him and he knew Annie would love that name as well.

Ciel snapped his finger in front of Sebastian's face. "Would you tell me now what's wrong?"

"Like you already know, Annie and I are—"

"Lovers," Ciel stated. "And?"

"Well, there is a reason for her changing body—"

"Let me guess, you secretly make the sweetest cakes and puddings for her instead of letting me taste them?" Ciel chuckled and saw the hint of a smile on his butler's lips.

"No—the reason is that—"

"Oh, look at Annie's belly! What's that, huh, getting a child or so?" Bard called loudly and chuckled as they had been aware of her grown belly now visible a bit more in the swimsuit. She blushed and cast a glance at Sebastian, now aware that Ciel stared at her and back at his butler.

"Is that true?" Ciel asked quietly, his voice not giving away what he was feeling about this.

Sebastian knew this was the moment he had been waiting for. He inhaled deeply, opened his mouth but remained silent. Instead of saying anything, he simply nodded slowly. He avoided looking at Ciel for a moment before his gaze drifted down to his young master. What he saw on the young boy's face surprised him even more. There was a smile. A full smile plastered on Ciel Phantomhive's face.

The butler watched him curiously, his head tilted a bit and still waiting for Ciel to say something.

Finally the boy chuckled while he shook his head.

"A demon fell in love with a human and vice versa. A demon grew an actual heart for her. And now they are getting a child together," he paused for a moment and scratched his head before he added amused, "Now I've really seen everything."


	26. Not the worst

The air was fresh and smelled of rain and grass. A thin layer of mist hung in the air and promised that this day might not be the best and no sound could be heard far and wide. That was when suddenly loud, merry voices and laughter waved through the air and broke the former uncomfortable silence.

"Resort! Resort! I can't believe our young master allowed us all to go on that vacation, too!" Finny called and smiled brightly at Mey-Rin.

She shifted on her seat and squealed. "We're going to see Her Majesty's own resort! I feel like I'm in heaven!"

Annie chuckled and cast a glance at Ciel sitting next to her while Sebastian sat on the driver's seat of the carriage. She shoved the young boy gently and smiled at him.

"It was a good idea to take them with you. They really deserve some vacation. And so do I," she stroked over her belly. She was relieved that it was not grown too much thanks to her normally slender shape.

Ciel huffed with the hint of a smile on his lips. "I only allowed them to come so they are not destroying the mansion while we're gone."

She laughed and leaned back. "Oh come on, that's rude. Admit it, you like them!"

"Do I have another choice?" he mumbled and cast a glance along the bleak landscape. After a few miles, Sebastian stopped in front of a wooden sign on the muddy road.

"Well, this is the entrance to the village," Sebastian said and turned around to look at his young master and his beloved one. He saw her examining the sign carefully and with growing unease. "What's wrong, Annie?"

"Huh?" she looked up at him. "Oh, it's just—that sign looks a bit scary don't you think? I mean, these skulls over there and—and that iron dog collar hanging over it. I can't imagine the Queen has built a resort here."

Ciel chuckled quietly. She turned her head to look at him and could hear the rest of the household scream in shock upon seeing all those dog skulls and collars lying all around the landscape.

"What's so funny?" she asked the boy.

"Well, it seems I forgot to mention that this is the planned construction site for the resort," he replied with a cheeky grin on his face.

Annie scowled at him and looked back along the landscape. "The Queen seems to be quite odd the past years when she chose  _this_  as the site for her resort. I'm certain there are more suitable places around."

"I'll explain it to you later, my dear," Sebastian said with a smile and spurred the horses again, the carriages rumbled on along the road.

The mood of the servants dropped the further they drove and finally after what appeared to them like a lifetime, the carriages stopped in front of a tall building. Annie immediately spotted the beautiful, young maid waiting for them.

"Are you the Phantomhive party?" she asked in quite a soft voice and watched them all curiously, her gaze lingered on Annie for a second before she looked back at Sebastian again.

"Yes," Sebastian replied and watched her carefully. She bowed a bit in front of them.

"Welcome to Barrymore Castle. My master is waiting for you," she looked up again, her violet eyes warm and friendly. Annie could hear from the carriage behind them, that the servants were all quite amazed by her appearance. Finny, most of all, for he kept on repeating how beautiful she was. Annie shook her head amused and climbed down from the carriage with Sebastian's help.

Together they followed the maid inside the huge building. Silently she led them along some dimly lighted hallways and into the lounge. Ciel signaled her to bring the servants to their room.

"Follow me," she said to Annie, Finny, Bard and Mey-Rin, but Ciel intervened.

"No, Annie, you'll stay with us," he said and so the maid led the others outside of the lounge while Ciel inspected the room a bit. Annie took a seat on the sofa and sighed contently. She smiled at Sebastian when suddenly a loud crack reached their ears. A sound as if a whip made contact with flesh. Annie frowned as she heard the quiet whimper of a woman. She got up and went to open the door of the lounge. She gasped in shock as she saw a tall man with a whip in his hand, making it slash the maid over and over again.

"What's with this little Chihuahua? I was told to welcome the Queen's convoy! Angela, are you not even capable of something as simple as that?"

"Hey! Stop that!" Annie called and was about to enter the study, but Sebastian grabbed her hand and held her back. She looked at him confused and full of anger when in the next moment she heard Ciel's voice.

"Sebastian!"

It was an order; she could hear it in the tone of his voice. Within a second, Sebastian was gone and appeared behind the man, grabbing his wrist to prevent him from harming the maid any further.

"What are you doing, you Doberman?" the man yelled furiously. "Are you trying to bite back at me? Let me go!"

"I wouldn't mock him, if I were you," Annie hissed. Ciel stepped up next to her.

"I am the one who ordered him!"

The man seemed to be surprised that this young boy was talking to him. He turned to look at Ciel quite confused.

Annie saw that typical mocking smile curling the boy's lips. "I'm assuming the letter was delivered? I am Ciel Phantomhive."

Sebastian let the man's hand free as he yanked his arm away. Annie ignored them all and hurried to the maid she had learned was called Angela. She knelt down next to her and placed her arm around the other woman.

"Are you alright?"

Angela looked up with teary-wet eyes and nodded with a lump in her throat. With a quick look at Sebastian, Annie got up and left the study together with Angela.

"Is he doing that often?" she asked as they entered the kitchen where Angela immediately went to the counter and started preparing tea and dinner. She remained silent for a while and Annie had no idea what she should do, so she approached the maid, took a knife and began helping her cutting the vegetables. Angela looked up and smiled lightly.

"You really don't have to do this," she protested but Annie chuckled quietly.

"It's better than doing nothing. Tell me: are you the only maid in this household?"

She nodded. "I am nothing special. I only make mistakes" she replied calmly and turned to look at the three members of the Phantomhive household enter the kitchen.

"If there's anything we can do, just let us know and we'll help," Bard immediately said with his typical smile. Annie watched her carefully.

"You are all so kind," Angela said and lowered her gaze a bit. "Thank you for helping me," she smiled at Annie. "But you should rest a bit now. The journey was long, I suppose, and your baby needs rest. May I ask where the father is?"

"You already met him," Annie replied and stroked over her belly. "Sebastian. The Phantomhive butler."

Angela nodded thoughtfully. "I hope your child will be just as wonderful as you are. Would be a shame if something happens to it."

Annie stopped and stared at her confused. "What—what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, I am sorry," she chuckled quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to warn you that if you overstrain yourself, it might not be good for the baby."

Annie hesitated for a second and finally left the kitchen to join Sebastian and Ciel again.

* * *

"I don't know—in one moment I felt a connection to her and thought she is really friendly and then she said something creepy and now I don't feel safe anymore," Annie said once they had settled down in their room. She sat at the window and cast a glance outside, watching the slowly setting sun at the horizon. In the light of the fading day, the landscape looked not as threateningly as it did when they had arrived earlier that day.

Sebastian sighed and knelt down next to her, his hand stroked gently over her belly. "No one and nothing will harm our child. If anyone tries to get near it I will rip their hearts out of their chests and feed them to the dogs."

She chuckled and placed a kiss on top of his hear before she gently played with some strands of his dark hair. "Oh, you will be such a great daddy."

"Did I hear some teasing in your voice?" he asked amused and looked up at her with that typical smile. That smile she had fallen in love with all those months ago.

"Would I really dare to tease you, my dear little demon?" she grinned cheekily and squeaked as suddenly she was scooped up from the armchair and carried to the big, fluffy canopy bed. Carefully he lowered her down onto her back and climbed on top of her.

"Do you know what happens to bad girls?" he whispered with a playful glance in his eyes.

Annie giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Tell me, Mister Butler," she breathed seductively.

His body was set on fire, the mere thought of taking her right now nearly made him explode but of course he was able to hold it back longer. As long as she needed. And he would worship her, just like he had done the times before.

He lifted one hand and then another to pull his gloves off with his teeth. He chuckled as he heard her purr beneath him in excitement. He knew how much she loved it when he did this. With aching slowness he began unbuttoning his shirt and finally tossed it aside. Within the blink of an eye he felt her hands on his chest, wandering all over his upper body, her fingertips trailed further down along his stomach. Sebastian closed his eyes for a moment and simply enjoyed her featherlike touches on his already sensitive skin. He opened his eyes again and looked down into hers. He smiled as he saw her biting her lower lip. Quickly he undressed her out of her white blouse and immediately placed a trail of kisses from the side of her neck down along her shoulders and collarbone until he reached her full breasts. She arched her back a little as she felt his lips sucking and his tongue teasing her hard nipples.

Her hands found their way into his hair again and his name slipped from her lips in a delightful moan. Slowly he continued his way down along her belly. Annie gasped a little, suddenly realizing what they were about to do.

"You are still the most beautiful creature I ever laid eyes upon," he whispered and looked up at her with only his eyes fixed on her face.

"And you have seen a lot, I guess?" she whispered back.

"Innumerable, my love. Relax—I won't hurt you. And I won't hurt our little one," he said reassuringly and continued kissing her belly.

Annie relaxed and closed her eyes, feeling his lips and tongue exploring her body. She felt her skirt and underpants vanish, too and suddenly she cried out in absolute pleasure and surprise as she felt his tongue down between her legs. One of her hands grabbed the blanket, dug her nails into the soft cushion while her other hand buried into his hair again. He pleasured her with such tenderness that she thought she might be dead and in paradise in this very moment.

Her hips started rocking against his lips. "Oh my. Oh Sebastian—"she moaned a bit louder and she felt her climax building up. It didn't take much longer and she came with a choked scream which he quickly muffled with a tender kiss on her lips, making her taste herself. And she liked it. It might be because of her clouded mind, but she didn't care. Sebastian was all she needed and she knew this had just been the beginning.

She panted heavily while she slowly came down from her high. She opened her eyes and smiled at him with rosy cheeks. Her hand shook a bit as she caressed his face and pulled him down into another kiss, more passionate this time. She brought her lips close to his ear and breathed, "Take me—"

"As my lady commands," he replied with husky voice and quickly opened his pants. He was rock hard already and Annie once again enjoyed the sight of him before he pushed slowly into her. She buried her nails into his shoulders and cried out in pleasure. He took her slow and long, giving her all she needed and taking all  _he_  needed.

"Oh Sebastian! Oh, yes—yes—I-I can't hold—" she cried and sighed and moaned incoherently until she finally exploded around him, keeping him inside her while her second climax hit her full force and Sebastian couldn't hold back any longer as well. With another thrust he saw stars exploding behind his eyes as he spilled his seed into her again.

Exhausted and happy she snuggled against him after he had rolled down from her. He kept her close against his chest and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"I love you, Sebastian—"she mumbled sleepily.

He smiled "And I love you, Annie. I will protect you from all the evil in this world."

"Said the demon,"she giggled and squealed as he pinched her playfully in the side.

"Demons are not the only evil in this world. And not always the worst."

As he got no response he looked down at her and smiled; his eyes soft and full of warmth. Annie was asleep in his arms and soon he drifted into a light slumber as well.


	27. Pain (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I am so sorry for taking that long to upload this chapter on here! Life was super busy for me the past months! The last 4 chapters of the story will be up here until beginning of next week, too! 
> 
> I am working on the sequel already, but have quite a writers block on it at the moment so...might take a little while to get it up here :)
> 
> Hope you're all still with me! <3

Sebastian nestled against Annie's back in the night, with one arm draped over hers, his hand brushing her lightly grown belly.

Annie could hear his soft and steady breathing. She smiled and sighed contently, so very happy to know that this demon was able to actually sleep with her in his arms and the sheet tangled about them.

The room was dark and silent and yet Annie couldn't find any more sleep. Something about this place—the village and the house they were residing in at the moment—made her skin prickle. If it was really something she should be worried about or if this was just some strange motherly instinct, she could not say.

Suddenly she held her breath and listened carefully. She was certain she had heard something outside of the house. Or was it just the wind sighing against the shutters?

' _You should try to get more sleep, Annie,'_  she chided herself.  _'With Sebastian by your side, nothing will ever harm you.'_

She closed her eyes for a second, but finally she sighed and slid out from under his arm and got up. She went to the hearth and put another log into the dying fire to fuel it again for she felt a shiver running down her spine. Carefully she approached the window and opened it. A chill wind blew into her face and made her shiver even more while goosebumps covered her skin.

She leaned outside a bit more and looked out over the town and the spooky valley with its dead trees around. A full moon floated above her and everything was quiet. Dead silent. Too silent for her liking and so she closed the window again and turned to look upon the sleeping demon in the bed. She wrapped her arms around herself and smiled as some strands of his raven hair fell into his eyes. She stroked over her belly and wondered how their child would look like one day.

After lingering for another moment, she felt quite thirsty. She dressed in a nightgown and a light jacket and silently left the room to head to the kitchen. The hallway was dimly lighted and she feared that she would trip and fall and so she placed her hand against the wall to walk slow and carefully when suddenly she spotted a door to her right being slightly ajar. Light flickered a little and she was certain she could hear hushed voices inside of the room.

Annie cast a glance back over her shoulder before she shifted closer to the door and listened intently before she peeked inside, her brow furrowing as she saw who it was.

"Angela! Oh, Angela!"

The voice of Henry Barrymore was thick and heavy of lust and Annie saw him kneeling in front of Angela, rubbing her naked calves while she was sitting in an armchair. Annie frowned, confused about the fact to see them in a situation like that while earlier he had whipped her and treated her like dirt.

"The Queen wants my village. You understand, right? I'll protect this village! Angela, my angel. My angel," he murmured.

Annie retreated quickly and hurried down along the hallway and entered the kitchen. Her hands were shaking as she poured water into a glass and emptied it with one sip. The strange feeling started gnawing at her again, the feeling that something was wrong with that village. Why would Lord Barrymore protect it? What is there to be protected in that isolated, scary village?

A soft knock came from the door which was still open. Annie gasped and turned around, her heart banging rapidly in her chest. She sent a confused smile at the maid as Angela stepped into the kitchen.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said softly and smiled lightly at Annie.

"No, it's—it's fine. I am a guest here and shouldn't stroll around at night—"

"I actually came with a request for the Earl of Phantomhive, but I thought maybe it is best to talk with you first. He might listen to you more than to a stranger, I suppose."

Annie poured another glass of water and signaled Angela to go on. The maid stepped a bit closer as she continued,

"Please—withdraw from this village. You must not stay here."

She sounded almost pleadingly and Annie watched her confused. "Why?"

Angela sighed and lowered her head. "That is—"

Suddenly a loud howl waved through the night outside and made both women wince in shock. Annie cast a questioning glance at her and saw fear clearly written on the other woman's face.

"Angela? What's wrong?" she stepped closer and placed her hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"No! It's come! The Devil Dog has—"

"Devil Dog?"

Angela suddenly cried out and within a second Sebastian entered the kitchen.

"Sebastian!"

Annie pointed at the window; the silhouette of a dog's head was clearly visible behind the curtains. The butler pulled them aside just to see nothing but the village by night. Annie stepped towards him and looked outside as well.

"There, do you see this?" he said and pointed outside. Annie needed a moment to see what he meant until she spotted some strange creature, possibly a wolf or a big dog, running along the streets with some strange glowing substance surrounding him.

Ciel appeared in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Sebastian—what happened?" he mumbled.

"Follow me," the butler replied and took Annie's hand and signaled Ciel and Angela to follow him outside. Right in front of the house they spotted a trail of the strange glowing liquid.

Ciel knelt down and inspected it carefully when all of a sudden the four other servants came running outside, dressed in their pajamas.

"What is all the ruckus about?" Bard asked.

"The Devil Dog returned—"

They all turned to look at Angela. Annie squeezed Sebastian's hand a little and he sensed she was more than nervous. He pulled her a bit closer and stroked over her head while they listened as Angela explained,

"The one that will bring disaster to the village. Those who have disobeyed their master will be punished by the Devil Dog. That is one of the laws of the village."

"Miss Angela! Please inform Lord Barrymore that the Devil Dog has appeared!"

They saw the townsfolk approaching the building with torches in their hands. Angela turned around in shock.

"Who has been punished?"

"Sebastian, I don't want to stay here any longer," Annie whispered and buried her face into his chest. She shivered and he felt she was very afraid.

"We have to investigate this, my love. You better stay here. Go back inside and wait in the lounge or in our room. Take the others with you," he replied and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"No, please don't leave me here. I am scared—"she pleaded and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Suddenly her eyes grew wider. She opened her mouth and gasped, as if swallowing a cry of pain.

"Annie? What's wrong?" Sebastian backed her as she bent over and dropped onto her knees.

"My—ah!" she cried out in pain and clutched to his arm. "It—hurts—"she held her belly and cried out again.

"But—but it is too early! The baby cannot come now!" he said confused and scooped her up onto his arms. He carried her inside, the rest of the Phantomhive clan followed.

Angela lingered outside for a moment before she followed inside as well, an evil smile curling her lips.


	28. Pain (2)

The pain in her abdomen was excruciating as another cry left her throat. Sweat covered her forehead and she panted fast and heavily, her nails dug into Sebastian's arm while the other's—Bard, Finny, Meyrin, Tanaka and Ciel—stood around the bed quite helplessly.

"Is this normal?" Ciel asked carefully and looked up at Sebastian whose face was a mask of panic. One look into his butler's eyes and he didn't even need an answer—which he didn't get anyway.

"It's—ah, it's too soon! Three months! Sebastian, ah, ah, I—I can't, I don't want it to be born here!"

A waterfall of tears rushed down Annie's face, her cheeks flushed, her breath fast and heavy. "Please—take me away from here!" she begged and looked up at Sebastian.

"Where do you want to go?" Sebastian asked and leaned down, brushing a sweaty lock out of her face.

"H-home. Please, take me home—"she mumbled, already on the edge of her consciousness.

"Maybe it is really the best if you leave—"Angela entered the room with a concerned look in her eyes. "Take her home."

Ciel looked down at Annie quite thoughtfully before he signaled Sebastian to lean in closer. Once close enough for no one else to hear he whispered,

"Bring her to her parents. Or a hospital. But return right after. I need you here. Once you're back I will send the servants back to care for her, too."

Sebastian nodded and turned towards Annie. "I will take you to your parents, my love," carefully he scooped her up on his arms. Her breath had calmed down a bit and she snuggled her head against his chest.

"You should leave, too, young Earl," Angela insisted and looked from Annie to Ciel. "You cannot help us here alone."

"Oh, I won't be alone for long and these four will stay with me here until Sebastian returns. And now I'd like to see the man that was attacked by that mysterious Devil Dog. Lead the way," he gestured her to go and cast a glance over his shoulder, "Come back immediately, Sebastian."

"Yes, my Lord."

* * *

Outside in the village, the people stood around a man lying on the ground. His clothes were ripped and torn, his skin covered with scratches and bite marks and Ciel knew that man was dead as he knelt down next to him to inspect the corpse.

"How cruel—"Bard breathed.

"Do you think Annie will be fine?"Meyrin whispered concerned and shifted from one foot on the other, not able to properly look at the dead man on the ground.

Finny and Bard shrugged. "Let's hope so."

Ciel took the man's hand and examined the scratched skin when suddenly a deep voice roared,

"Don't touch him!"

They all looked up as Lord Barrymore approached them. His face was hard and cold. "So, the bad dog was James?"

An elder man nodded. "Yes. He broke the rule of having five dogs per person. It seems he was keeping a sixth."

"I see," he mumbled and closed his eyes for a second before he looked at Ciel, "Then, I suppose there was no helping it."

Bard stepped forward, anger clearly written on his face. "No helping it? Are you serious?"

Lord Barrymore turned towards him and growled, "This village has rules set down by myself. Those who break the rules will be punished by the Devil Dog that serves the Barrymore family!"

The crowd began chanting some creepy lines Ciel didn't really pay attention to while they lifted the corpse up and carried it away.

"I was sure that it would be an outsider who fell prey, but it seems you were spared," Lord Barrymore turned around and glared at Ciel and the servants before he followed the crowd with Angela right behind him.

"Tell me what you want—but this Lady Angela is creepy," Bard mumbled.

"So is this whole village, but that doesn't matter now," Ciel replied and sighed heavily. "We will stay here together until Sebastian returns. He can't help Annie anyway and we can only success with him by our side. My side. You four will return to the mansion once he is back."

"But, Ciel, we are here to protect you, too!" Finny exclaimed.

Ciel shook his head and turned back towards the house. "We will see."

* * *

"How do you feel, Annie?"

Lizzy's voice filled her head and slowly she opened her eyes. Her head was pounding and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before she turned her head to the side, watching the other girl sitting next to her bed.

"Lizzy? Where am I?"

"You are at home, at your parent's house. Sebastian brought you here last night. He called me to take care of you because he could not stay for long. Are you alright? Is something wrong with the baby?"

Annie frowned and stroked over her belly under the blanket. "I don't know. It felt as if it was about to break out of me. The pain was so horrible. I was so afraid, but now—now it feels perfectly fine again. I wonder why it happened."

"Your mother said it is normal. Sometimes it feels like this."

"No, Lizzy, you don't understand. This was no normal pain. This was as if a scalding knife tried to cut the baby out of my body, stabbing me and torturing me. Something or someone must have caused this—"she said thoughtfully and closed her eyes again, leaning her head back against the soft pillow.

They remained silent for a little while and just as Lizzy had assumed Annie was asleep again, she suddenly opened her eyes and said,

"It must have something to do with that village! Angela, she is a servant there, she came to me last night and said we should leave the village. What if she—but no, that is impossible. How should she be able to make me feel pain?" she sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Do you think Ciel is in danger?" Lizzy asked concerned and took Annie's hand, squeezing it lightly.

She shrugged lightly. "I really don't know, but I hope not."

"Well, even if so—Sebastian will be there to protect him. And they will soon return and you will be with him again."

"Yes—"she whispered and closed her eyes again.

* * *

Finny, Bard and Meyrin sat together outside of the mansion of Lord Barrymore on the next morning. Clouds hung heavily and almost threateningly above them while some weak rays of the sun managed their way down to the ground.

It was clearly visible that they felt more than miserable.

"It turned out to be a terrible trip, huh?" Bard sighed and leaned his chin on top of a wooden box.

"Indeed—"the red haired maid mumbled, her voice full of sorrow.

The sound of nearing footsteps made them look up. Finny gasped and jumped towards Sebastian.

"You are back! Where is Annie? Is she fine?"

"I think she feels better now, yes," he replied. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"No, the rest of the night was silent," Bard said. "Too silent, if you ask me."

"Well, maybe we should do what we were about to do in first place," Sebastian mumbled. "Get in the water. We are here to test this place for a resort."

Later in the afternoon, the servants had some fun in the water while Ciel sat in a chair, reading a book. Sebastian looked down at him.

"Won't you go swimming, young Master?"

"No. If you're still able to swim here in this season, it may yet have some merit as a resort," the boy replied.

Sebastian cocked his eyebrow. "Are you truly thinking of making this place a resort? After all we've witnessed so far and what happened to Annie."

"We cannot say for sure that what happened with her had anything to do with this place.

"Yes, but what about that Devil Dog?"

Ciel sighed lightly. "You have noticed it as well, right? The truth behind that Devil Dog?"

Sebastian nodded thoughtfully and looked over to Angela who sat on a blanket with Tanaka. Finny waved at her merrily. The butler sighed. He had seen how much Finny liked Angela. But something about that maid was wrong. He just couldn't say what it was, but Annie had sensed it right from the beginning and he trusted her instincts. He would keep an eye on that maid, just in case she tried to make them leave again.

Ciel signaled him to lean in closer. Quietly he whispered into his ear. A smile curled Sebastian's lips.

"Yes, my Lord," he said amused and left immediately.

* * *

It was early evening, the sun was already setting and painted the sky in a beautiful indigo.

Annie was snuggled into her pillow when suddenly she opened her eyes in panic. Her breathing quickened and she sat up. Her hand rubbed over her tummy, aware that the baby inside moved a bit.

' _It is too early. Or isn't it? Would a half demon baby be quicker evolved than a normal human?'_

These questions whirled through her head as she called,

"Mom? Mom!"

Within the blink of an eye, Mary Ann entered the room. "What's the matter, my dear?"

"I—I think it's starting. The baby—"she panted a bit and tried to get up but slipped and nearly dropped out of bed. Her mother rushed to her and helped her back onto the bed. Annie groaned.

"We have to bring you to the hospital!"

"No! I won't go anywhere now! I'll have my baby here!" Annie protested and hissed in pain. She grabbed her mother's hand and panted, her hips began moving in slow circles.

"Let me at least call a doctor to come here!" Mary Ann insisted and finally Annie nodded. Her mother left for a moment and returned soon after. "The doctor will arrive soon. Calm down, my love. Everything will be fine. Breath calmly. Breathe in—and out—in—and out. Yes, you're doing fine," she smiled and stroked over her daughter's head.

It took not long and the doctor, a woman older than Mary Ann, entered the room. She immediately examined Annie and smiled at her, signaling her that everything was perfectly fine.

Suddenly her whole body began swaying with each contraction. Her heart was racing and a thin layer of sweat covered her forehead. She bent over again with another contraction and dug her nails into the sheets.

"Seb—astian! I need him—here, now!" she cried and panted heavily.

"He cannot come now. You have to make it without him," Mary Ann said calmly. "I will be there. I will help you."

Finally she stopped struggling and tried to breath normally again. "That—that was really tough—"she chuckled weakly.

The doctor examined her again and said, "You are ready to go—"

Annie's face changed again and her mother stroked over her head. "Easy, breathe gently."

She couldn't calm down anymore. There was just one thing she could do and that was pushing.

"I can see it! There is the head!" the doctor said quietly and looked up at Annie. "Rest for a moment and push again."

Annie inhaled deeply and pushed again. And all of a sudden, a tiny body slid into the doctor's waiting hands. "Welcome, little one," she said to the girl and cuddled it up into a small cloth.

Annie's head fell back into the pillow and reached instinctively for her baby. As the doctor handed it to her, the baby girl took her first breath. She was fascinated by that pink little thing. "It's a baby," she said giddily and added, "I have a baby!"

Mary Ann laughed and watched Annie cuddling the little girl against her breasts. "It's my baby. Our baby. Sebastian and I have a baby," she mumbled, still too overwhelmed by the situation.

"What will be her name?" Mary Ann asked curiously.

Annie looked down at the little girl with its thick, black hair and those big round emerald eyes. She was a perfect mix of Sebastian and herself.

"Lucy—Lucy Michaelis. That sounds nice, don't you think?" she said with a smile. Her mother nodded proudly.

"Hello, Lucy. I am your grandmother," she whispered and lowered down on the edge of the bed. "I am so proud of you, my love. And I am certain Sebastian will be, too."

"I wish he could be here now," she mumbled.

Mary Ann leaned down and kissed her daughter's and granddaughter's foreheads.

"Take some rest and call if you need me," she got up again and thanked the doctor as well, so did Annie.

"The same counts for me," the doctor said after packing her bag again. "If you need help, just call me and I will come and see what I can do. But your baby is healthy and fine. There shouldn't be any complications."

"Thank you," Annie mumbled and fondled her daughter's hair tenderly.

Once she was alone with her she felt a silent tear run down her cheek. She couldn't wait to see Sebastian's reaction once he was back.

She closed her eyes and sighed contently, both Annie and Lucy fell asleep quickly.


	29. Tears of joy

It was late afternoon and Ciel had just decided to take a little nap after their day at the beach, when suddenly the bell tower rang outside. He sighed and got up again.

"What's the meaning of this?" he grumbled and left the house, heading to the marketplace where he found a large group of town people as well as his servants, except Sebastian who still seemed to do the thing he had ordered him to do earlier.

He stepped up next to Bard. "What's happening?" he asked his cook and watched a large shepherd dog tied at the wall with a heavy iron chain at its collar.

"I don't know," Bard replied thoughtfully. "They said that dog was a bad dog. Look that man tries to get something out of its fangs."

They watched how a man yelled furiously at the dog and hit it with a wooden club. Finny gasped in horror, tears shot in his eyes while a shiver ran down his spine.

"What a stubborn dog. It's truly a terrible dog," Lord Barrymore mumbled and turned around to look at the crowd as he yelled, "Begin!"

Suddenly the crowd cheered loudly and a group of dogs was freed to attack the chained dog. Barking and snarling they attacked it, biting it and about to kill it.

"Stop it! This is wrong!" Finny said more to himself when all of a sudden he yelled, "I cannot stand this anymore! I said stop it!"

The Phantomhive household turned to look at him surprised as he rushed past them, plucking a heavy, wooden post out of the ground as if it was just a toothpick and yelled again, "Stop it!"

He whirled around and knocked the group of dogs away, sending them flying. The crowd gasped in shock, an elderly woman screamed and fainted.

"Finny!" Mey-Rin called and she, Bard, Tanaka and Ciel ran towards him, looking down at him kneeling next to the injured dog.

"You got in the way! In the way of righteous punishment! More bad dogs! They're bad dogs! Bad dogs!" the crowd began mumbling and growling at them. Ciel turned around, so did the rest of them except Finny who still stroked the fur of the dog lying on the ground.

They couldn't even react quickly enough when they were captured. Ciel was chained to the wall with cuffs around his hands and an iron collar around his neck. The rest of them was tied around a wooden post.

"You're getting what you deserve, Maltese," Lord Barrymore chuckled evilly.

"Master, I'm pleading you! Please forgive them!" Angela stepped forward, clutching her hands tightly together. Her voice was filled with fear and sorrow.

Barrymore chuckled and cast a glance at Ciel. "This Pomeranian is, even if only temporarily, one of those serving Her Majesty. Depending on what he has to say, I may be able to let him go. Tell Her Majesty to withdraw and never consider this village again."

Ciel sighed heavily before a light smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You'd go that far in order to protect your miniature kingdom? It seems like the expression 'furious charge' was invented for you."

The Lord glared angrily again and spat. "Then, I will show you what it means to disobey me! Do it!"

The same group of dogs that had attacked the single dog before was now charging at Ciel, barking loudly and furiously. He gasped and stared at them approaching him, teeth flashing in the dying light of the day. They jumped at him, about to rip him apart when suddenly one by one was knocked out and been sent flying again as Sebastian appeared, standing protectively in front of his young Master.

"You are late!" Ciel grumbled.

Sebastian chuckled and cast an amused glance at him, adjusting his gloves. "Please forgive me, my Lord."

Lord Barrymore watched the butler furiously. "Now you are trying to get in my way as well, you Garm?" He kicked one of the dogs and called, "What are you waiting for? Go and bite them both to death!"

They growled but didn't move. Sebastian sighed. "Listen—what a loud and barbaric sound they make. That's why I hate dogs," he added and stared at the pack of dogs, his eyes flashing pink for a moment. The dogs retreated, whimpered in fear and lay down on the ground, tails wagging lightly.

The crowd gasped confused. "Wh-what?"

"The farce ends here, Barrymore!" Ciel called. "Listen! There is no such thing as a Devil Dog! The only thing here is an old man who was bitten by the delusion of authority!"

"What proof do you have of that, you rat?" Barrymore replied, sweat running down his face.

"This!" Sebastian replied calmly and pulled a dog's skull out of a dead dog's fangs. "It was in the basement of the mansion. The shape of the teeth match the marks on James," he lifted the skull, showing it to the crowd."

The people stared at it in confusion. Sebastian smiled lightly and pointed up into the sky, dark clouds hanging threateningly above them while the last light of the sun was shining, shoving the shadow of a dog's head. "Look at that!" Sebastian said.

"This is the real truth behind the Devil Dog," he explained further and pointed at a black projector on the ground. "The shadow of the Devil Dog was just a simple projection. And the shining thing in the night was pure phosphorus," he pointed at Lord Barrymore. "He just poured the powder on an ordinary dog."

Ciel, still hanging at the chains, added, "The Devil Dog was an illusion choreographed by one person. And that person was you, Henry Barrymore!"

The Lord retreated a little. "And where is your proof that _I_ did that?"

Ciel smiled lightly as Sebastian went to the injured shepherd dog on the ground. Carefully he took something out of its fang and got up again. "It is a high-quality fabric. Why do you suppose this dog refused to let go of it until the end? The reason is this," Sebastian turned towards the crowd again, showing them the piece of fabric. "While trying to protect James, it bit your leg and this tore off," he glared at Barrymore. "It's a piece of your trousers."

Lord Barrymore gasped and turned around, about to move away from the scene but quickly the crowd surrounded him, pitchforks and clubs raised already.

"So, you're the one who killed James! There was no devil dog? You fooled us all!" they chanted angrily.

"Just give up! It's finished!" Ciel yelled at Barrymore.

The crowd grabbed the Lord and lifted him up, carrying him away from the place. They carried him down the road, back towards the village. No one knew what happened with him, but they all could imagine it very well.

Sebastian went and opened the chains of Ciel while Angela freed the others. Bard cheered loudly, happy to be free again. Finny went to the dog on the ground again. He knelt and stroked him again.

"You're incredible. Trying to protect your master until the end," he looked down and realized the dog was dead. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he lifted the dog's head and hugged it tightly. "You tried so hard! So hard!"

Sebastian watched the young boy thoughtfully. "This—is why I hate dogs."

"Yes, yes, cats are so much better, you repeat yourself," Ciel said annoyed and went past him. Together they went back to Barrymore mansion as night fell over the village.

Thoughtfully, Ciel stood at the window, overlooking the landscape and the village below. "I guess it is time to return home now that this case is settled. As soon as it stops raining we will leave," he said while Sebastian continued packing the young boy's suitcase. "Do you think Annie is fine?"

"She is fine, I am certain," Sebastian replied though he was not _that_ certain at all. She seemed to have had a lot of pain and he knew three months could mean their baby might be born dead if it would decide to arrive that early. He sighed and continued packing silently.

Meanwhile, Finny was unable to sleep. The whole events this day had been too troublesome for him and so he wandered silently through the dimly lighted hallways of the mansion while rain splattered against the windows and thunder raged outside. Suddenly he stopped and peeked around the corner, spotting Angela standing at the window and staring outside.

Suddenly a loud scream rang through the mansion. Finny flinched and hurried back, nearly bumping into Bard and Tanaka. "What was that?" he asked concerned.

"It sounded like Mey-rin," Bard replied and the three of them hurried down the stairs and stopped in front of the girl sitting on the ground.

"What happened?" they asked her quite out of breath.

Unable to form a proper sentence, Mey-Rin just pointed into the cell in which Lord Barrymore had been locked up earlier that day. Blood was sprawled on the floor and a hole in the back of the cell showed them that someone—or something—had taken the Lord and probably killed him.

They exchanged a horrified look before they flinched as a loud knocking came from the front door.

* * *

Come dark, Annie lit a few candles in her bedroom. The scent of honey filled the room and she smiled as the little baby squealed quietly. She stepped towards the crib and looked down at her daughter.

"Hey precious, finally awake?" she said and reached down, gently caressing Lucy's cheek. She squeaked and grabbed her mother's finger.

Annie chuckled and looked up as the door to her room opened. Mary-Ann peeked inside. "You have a visitor, my dear."

"Is it Sebastian?" she asked full of hope, her heart skipped a beat.

"No, it's Lizzy," she replied and saw the face of her daughter fall for a second.

"Oh," she breathed and looked a bit dashed, but smiled weakly. "Send her in," she finally said and picked Lucy up on her arms. Even though the girl was just mere hours old, Annie could already sense that she had demon blood in her. It was not her appearance for she looked just like a normal human baby, but it was the way she already acted. More like a baby that was a few weeks old, but that made her only prouder of what she and Sebastian had created.

A few moments later, the door opened again and Lizzy entered with a bright smile plastered on her face as she spotted Lucy for the first time. Her eyes grew wide as she stepped closer.

"Oh Annie, she is so beautiful. She looks just like her parents," she giggled and stroked a strand of hair out of Lucy's face.

Annie chuckled. "Thank you. Would you like to hold her?"

"Really? You let _me_ hold her?"

"Why not? I trust you, Lizzy," she handed Lucy over to her friend. Carefully, Lizzy took the baby onto her arms and rocked it gently.

"When do you think Sebastian will return?" she asked and sat down on the armchair in front of the window. "He doesn't know she is born, yet, right?"

"No he doesn't and that's why I hope he will return soon. I actually thought it was him when my mom came to tell me I have a visitor."

"I'm sorry it's just me," Lizzy looked up and smiled lightly.

"Don't be silly. I am happy to see you and look, Lucy seems to like you too," she gestured at her daughter who was looking up at Lizzy with her big, emerald eyes.

"I just hope Ciel is fine—"Lizzy mumbled and handed Lucy back to Annie, both girls deep in their own thoughts while they stared out of the window which was still covered in rain.

* * *

"What happened?" Sebastian asked once the group reached the place on which they had been earlier that day. The citizens sat on the muddy ground, praying and chanting as if in trance while the dogs howled long and loud. Rain and thunder raged around them.

"He asked you a question! What are you doing?" Bard grabbed a man's shoulder to shake him a little. That was when another crack of lightning flashed and illuminated the scenery, revealing the corpse of Lord Barrymore leaning against the wall.

The servants were more than shocked and screamed while Ciel just cast a meaningful glance up at Sebastian. He went and knelt down next to the dead man's body. He examined him carefully while someone behind him called,

"Lord Devil Dog!"

That seemed to be too much for Angela. She gasped and turned pale white before she dropped to the ground. Finny immediately ran towards her and pulled her into his arms.

"Miss Angela? What are you doing? What's wrong?" he asked and patted her cheek gently but to no avail.

"We should go back. There is nothing else to see anyway," Ciel announced and signaled Finny to carry Angela. Together they all returned to the mansion, mainly to get out of the rain.

"And I really thought this case would be solved," Ciel mumbled while he sat in an armchair near the hearth.

"I am not very delighted about the events as well," Sebastian replied and turned to the servants. "What about Angela?"

"We've put her to bed for the time being," Mey-Rin said. "It's no wonder she passed out."

"Yes, it's really heart wrenching. She served that Lord for so long. To witness this is unbearable," Bard added thoughtfully.

Sebastian went to look out of the window. He wished he could be back in London again. That they all could return now. He didn't care about this village or that servant girl. Annie hadn't liked Angela. She had sensed something was wrong with that girl. Wrong with that house and that village. He just hoped she was fine. He wished nothing more than to keep her close, to feel her soft breathing and to mingle her heartbeat with his own again. He wished to be by her side once the baby was ready to be born.

"This village completely isolated itself from the rest of society, fearing the curse of the Devil Dog," Ciel said and pulled Sebastian out of his thoughts again. He turned and watched his young Master as the boy added, "The existence of the Devil Dog was supposed to have been a farce Lord Henry created in order to rule the village. However, now he is dead—killed by someone or something strong enough to break a brick wall, tear him apart and bring him outside to the wall."

Bard stepped closer. "There were those marks on his body. Those bite marks—don't you think this could really be the work of the Devil Dog, just like the people of this village say?"

"Yes, he is right. What if that _dog_ was angry about Lord Henry's behaviour?" Mey-Rin suggested.

Sebastian stepped closer towards them again. "Whatever this is about, it is clear that this was no human work, indeed."

It was a little while later, once Ciel and Sebastian were alone, that the butler sensed the anger of his young master. While buttoning his shirt up, Sebastian looked up at him.

"What's bothering you?"

"Your revelation earlier. If it was not the work of a human, I hope there won't be another red-haired Reaper popping up behind a bush."

"There is no need to worry," Sebastian got up. "Mey-Rin's guess wasn't that far off. After all it was Lord Henry who was killed. I highly doubt that someone else will be killed after that. This was no random attack. Whoever did this had a target and that target is dead now."

"Do you trust Angela?" Ciel suddenly asked curiously and sank down on the sofa. He watched his butler intently.

Sebastian chuckled quietly. "Do you think she did this?"

"That was not my question."

He sighed and turned to look at the young boy. "I don't trust her, but I don't think she has anything to do with this."

"And why don't you trust her? What is it that makes you feel that way?"

"Annie. It was Annie who mistrusted her after encountering Angela being so worshipped by Lord Barrymore while at the same time was beaten for little things like welcoming us to this mansion. Plus, Annie said Angela had begged her to talk with you and make us leave, to stop investigating any further in that matter."

Ciel nodded thoughtfully. "Don't you think it's strange that Angela begged us to leave?"

"To me it seemed she had some strange kind of affection to the Lord and wanted to protect him—"

"Which would mean she knew about the Devil Dog or, let's say, that Lord Henry had something to do with all that. And yet she's acting as if she is all surprised. If you ask me we should keep an eye on her even more now."

"I do believe Finny would be glad to do that," Sebastian replied half amused.

* * *

It was still deep in the night as Finny walked along the hallway. "I wonder if Miss Angela is alright," he mumbled more to himself and nearly squeaked in shock when suddenly Mey-Rin appeared behind him.

"Where are you going? Looking for ghosts?" she asked a bit excited.

"Gh-ghosts? Do you think here are ghosts?" he asked a little afraid and watched her a bit surprised as she smiled.

"I don't know but wouldn't that be exciting? Let's go and look for some!" she pushed him forward and followed him until they reached another hallway. At the end of it they spotted a door, half ajar. Faint light pooled into the hallway coming from the room.

Silently they moved closer and peeked inside, having to pull themselves together as they spotted Angela lying on her side with another person behind her.

"Mmmh, that tingles," she giggled as the young man licked her earlobe. "No—don't stop. Just a bit slower."

Finny retreated a bit shocked, but unable to look away while Mey-Rin clutched her face to prevent from squeaking.

"Oh, such a good boy. Yes, good boy," Angela whispered and moaned a bit as the boy licked the side of her neck.

Mey-Rin blushed heavily and leaned in closer to Finny. "I wouldn't have thought of her like that. What do you think our young master would say if he could see her like this now?"

She was pushed away as Finny moved away from the door, facing her with his back. "Finny?" she asked concerned but the young boy just left and ran outside into the rain, tears running down his cheeks.

As morning came, the servants gathered in the kitchen just like every morning. Finny looked more than miserable and flinched as Angela entered with a tray of tea.

"Good morning," she said and placed the tray on the table.

Bard looked up at her. "Are you sure you should be up and working again?"

"Yes, of course. I am sorry if I scared you or troubled you too much," she replied calmly. "I acted unprofessional," she added and sighed before she cast a glance at Finny. "You look pale, Mr. Finny," she was about to reach for him as he retreated hastily, bumping against the wall with his back.

"Oh, I—I don't feel very well today. You better not touch me or—or the germs will spread! I am sorry," he exclaimed and rushed out of the kitchen, leaving them all puzzled behind.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sebastian served Ciel his breakfast. The boy sat at the long table and looked more than tired.

"You are quite laid back, aren't you?" he looked up at Sebastian.

 _You mean despite the fact that I am missing my girl?_ he thought but forced himself to smile as he replied,

"There is nothing to worry about at all."

"Sebastian!" Mey-Rin called as she pushed the door open, followed by Finny.

"What is the meaning of this ruckus?" he asked quite annoyed.

"Miss Angela! She is gone! We cannot find her anywhere!" Finny exclaimed in panic.

"It seems there grow some herbs near the swamp. She said she'd go pick them," Bard replied and scratched his head. "That was once both of you just left the kitchen," he grinned at the girl and the boy.

"To the swamp? Alone? What if something attacks her?" Finny asked concerned.

"What if the Devil Dog attacks her?" Mey-Rin called and followed Finny. Bard sighed and ran after them. "Sebastian, we should go!"

"Huh?" Sebastian watched the blond cook confused.

"Don't you have hot, red blood running through your veins?" Bard turned to look at the butler. The only answer he received was a bored expression of Sebastian and so they all left without the butler and his master.

Ciel had finished his breakfast and looked up at his butler with half a smile. "Now that you have a heart: What color _is_ your blood?"

"Black, I suppose?" he chuckled. "I can't tell, because I never bleed."

Ciel chuckled. "Nonetheless, you should go and help them search for Angela. Remember, we wanted to keep an eye on her and it seems Finny is not really the best for that job."

He sighed. "Yes, my Lord."

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Bard suddenly stopped as a long, deep howl waved through the air while they walked through the swamp. He grabbed them and pulled them behind a large boulder. Carefully they peeked around it.

Suddenly they saw a person emerging out of the mist. His hair was shoulder-length and of silvery color. His toe-nails were sharp and black.

"Who is that?" Mey-Rin whispered and pressed her hands on her face as the man turned around, showing his full naked body.

"So it is true. That man can only be the one who killed Lord Barrymore. He seemed to have had a grudge against Lord Henry for some reason," Bard mumbled.

"Maybe Miss Angela—"Mey-Rin began but was immediately cut off by Finny.

"Angela has nothing to do with this!"

Suddenly they turned as they heard some strange commotion approaching them. Finally the townspeople stopped in front of them.

"What are you doing out here?" Bard asked confused.

"We were going to perform ablutions in order to quell the Devil Dog's anger," one man explained quite out of breath.

An elderly woman, carried by said man, added, "Last night, the Devil Dog's angered voice rang out loudly."

"Haven't you heard it? The howling lasted the whole night!" another man stepped forward.

Without a warning, Finny turned and ran. Mey-Rin, Bard and Tanaka exchanged a worried look before they followed him. Soon they reached what looked like the ruins of some old houses. A loud howl waved through the air and made them flinch.

"That—that noise…"Finny said and suddenly gasped as the mist parted a bit in front of them, revealing a huge, white-furred dog with eyes as red as hot coals.

They retreated a bit as the dog opened its fangs, revealing flashing teeth and fire burning inside his jaws.

"Wh-what is that?" Bard breathed confused.

The dog suddenly turned to look at them, its eyes grew big. The servants stared at it in utter surprised before they realized what this was.

"The Devil Dog!" they screamed but were too perplex to run way. That was when Finny spotted some piece of white clothing at one of the beast's claws.

"That—that is Miss Angela's—"Finny suddenly exclaimed, yelled and ran towards the dog. Quickly he grabbed the fur of it and clung to its leg, being flung around by the furious beast until he landed on his back again. With a loud growl, the dog raised its massive paw and let it go down on Finny. The boy shielded his face with his arm and squeezed his eyes shut, about ready to die from the sharp claws of the beast. He waited—and waited—and waited, but the expected pain didn't come. Carefully he opened his eyes and looked up at Sebastian who stood between the dog and him, holding the beast's paw.

"My, my—isn't he good at the Shake Hands command?" he chuckled.

"Sebastian!" Finny breathed and stared at him as he flung the dog away. The beast crashed into a nearby wall with a yelp.

"Are you sure it's time to play around?" Ciel said annoyed and stepped up next to Bard, Mey-Rin and Tanaka.

"No, it is not, young Master. Let me just finish this, will you?" he chuckled and grinned at the dog that had just struggled back to its feet and sniffed the air while staring back at the butler.

"You can smell it, right? A scent you cannot resist," he reached into his pocket and reveled a box of dog treats. Slobber began dropping from the dog's jaws and he howled in merry excitement. "Yes, that is what you want, right?" Sebastian chuckled as the dog jumped at him.

"Watch out!" the servants called in panic.

"The best way to train a dog is to bend its will and strengthen its loyalty," Sebastian replied ignoring the others. He opened his eyes, sparkling pink and cat-like. He jumped at the dog's face and bit into its nose making it whimper a little.

"Uhm—"the others stared at him completely confused.

"I wonder what Annie would say if she could see this now," Ciel chuckled lightly and watched him kicking the dog against the nose, sending it flying to the ground again.

It was truly a play while Sebastian continued to treat and beat the dog to tame it until finally it stopped as both dropped to the ground, breaking it and leaving a big, dark hole in it.

"Sebastian!" Finny called and they all ran towards the hole in the ground. "He is not coming back," Mey-Rin said in panic.

Ciel sighed. "What are you waiting for, you idiot? Come back now!"

"Yes, my Lord," he called and all of a sudden, a fountain of hot water shot up towards them. "The essential of a resort is a centerpiece that will provide a tourist attraction. Bathing luxuriously in excessive amounts of hot water, draining away the fatigue of the day; that is what this is: the spa!"

He floated on top of the fountain, carrying the naked man from before on his arms. He jumped down and landed in front of the servants who looked at him confused and amazed.

The butler grinned at them. "If I wouldn't be able to find a spring or two—what kind of butler would I be?"

His face fell a little as the naked man began licking Sebastian's cheek. Out of nowhere, Angela came running towards them.

"Pluto!" she called.

"Pluto?" Finny asked confused and they all watched as the naked man jumped out of Sebastian's arms and ran towards the maid, hugging her and licking her face.

"I suppose you have a lot to explain," Sebastian said and signaled her to sit down while the sun already began to set, sparkling and dancing on the hot water fountain.

Angela lowered down on one of the stones, Pluto's head on her lap. "I found him about a month ago. I love dogs, and he was just so cute I ended up trying to tame him," she smiled lightly while her hand drove through the man's silvery hair. "He has a bad habit of turning into a human when he gets excited, though."

"Are you insane? This is not just a bad habit!" Bard exclaimed.

"So you kept him without telling anyone?" Sebastian asked a bit more calmly.

She looked up at him. "Yes. Lord Barrymore used the legend of the Devil Dog, but in reality, he was more afraid of it than anyone else. When I thought about what would happen if this one found out. I told your friend to leave. She should go and tell you it's better to leave the village. I didn't want to risk anyone finds out about him. But I suppose I was too naïve. I didn't think one moment that he would do that to Lord Barrymore. I beg of you, is there no way he could be taken to Lord Ciel's mansion?"

Sebastian's jaw dropped open for a second as Angela added pleadingly, "I bet under Sebastian's tutelage, I believe Pluto will become a wonderfully obedient dog!"

The butler sighed and opened his mouth to protest as Ciel intervened, "It is fine!"

Sebastian glared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, it sounds fun in many ways," he looked up at him with a light, teasing smile. "Imagine bringing Annie a dog home."

Sebastian watched him and finally sighed in defeat. "Well then, it is time to go home."

* * *

It was late afternoon as the two carriages reached the Phantomhive mansion again. They stopped and Sebastian went to help Ciel with his luggage while Pluto sat on the ground and watched him curiously.

"Isn't he cute?" Ciel chuckled teasingly and patted the naked man's head though he wasn't all naked anymore. Bard had forced him to wear at least a pair of panties to cover his crown jewels before Mey-Rin would die from nosebleed.

They entered the mansion and were already greeted by the scent of freshly baked cookies. They all exchanged a confused look.

"Did you leave the oven on?" Ciel asked his butler but fell silent when suddenly Lizzy came into the entry hall, carrying a tray with tea and cookies. She stopped and stared at them just like they stared back at her.

"L-Lizzy? What are you doing here?" Ciel asked confused. The girl squealed and nearly dropped the tray but Sebastian reacted quickly and took it from her. She crashed into Ciel and hugged him tightly and placed kisses on his cheeks.

"You are back! You are all back! Oh my, I am so happy!" she giggled and turned to look at Sebastian with the brightest smile. He raised his eyebrow, sending her a confused look while a light smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"You stay here!" she said and ran upstairs. Sebastian placed the tray down on the small table nearby while Ciel hung his coat over a chair.

"Sebastian!" Annie called and ran down the flight of stairs and jumped into his arms. "Oh, I missed you so much! Never—never ever ever leave me alone for so long!" She hugged him even tighter and kissed him deeply.

The others cleared their throats and grinned at each other. Sebastian placed his hands on her hips and looked down into her eyes.

"We were separated for three days, my love," he chuckled and earned a playful scowl from her before he leaned down to capture her lips again. "How do you feel?" he whispered and stroked over her belly, suddenly frowning.

She stepped away from him and smiled at him. "You were the only thing missing to make my life perfect now."

Mey-Rin sighed amazed while Ciel rolled his eyes due to all this cheesy talk.

"Wait here," Annie suddenly said to them and smiled at Sebastian. "There is someone who'd like to say hello to you."

They watched her running upstairs again and exchanged some confused glances. Sebastian felt something wet nudging against his hand and saw that Pluto licked his hand. He stepped away from him and looked back at the others who suddenly fell silent and stared at the stairs, even his young Master. He frowned and turned, and it was this very instant he could hear his blood rushing through his body, pumping in his ears while his heart skipped a beat.

He watched Annie descending down the stairs, carrying a tiny bundle on her arms. She stopped on the last step to be on eye level with him and smiled at him as he stared at her and finally down to the little baby on her arms.

"Is—is this—?"he breathed and reached for the cloth that was covering the baby's head a bit. He smiled as he saw the thick, black hair as the girl turned her head to look up at him with its big, round eyes that looked so much like her mother's.

"This is our baby, Sebastian. Our daughter—a girl, just like you wished," she chuckled and watched him with so much love in her eyes that even Ciel was speechless for a moment. They all stepped closer towards them to take a look at the girl on her arms.

"What's her name?" Ciel asked curiously and reached for her to touch her forehead.

"Lucy. Her name is Lucy," Annie replied and handed the girl to Sebastian who took his daughter carefully onto his arms, unable to unglue his eyes from her.

"Hello, Lucy. I'm your daddy," Sebastian whispered and bit onto his lips for a second but for the first time in his life he was unable to hold it back as tear rolled down his cheek.

A tear of joy.


End file.
